For Chicagoans, the words March, green and plumbing can only mean the greening of the Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day by the Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Union Local 130. Don’t get me wrong — it’s quite a sight to see 45 lb. of vegetable dye mixed into the downtown portion of the river by plumbers in speedboats. But by green plumbing, I mean water conservation.
This month marks the seventh anniversary of Fix a Leak Week, an event established by the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program to provide awareness of how much water is wasted in the average household each year from leaking fixtures and faucets. These “minor” water leaks account for the loss of 10,000 gal. of water each year; nationwide, that adds up to about 1 trillion gal. — the annual household water use of 11 million homes.