The Dallas Green Zine

Toilets can account for as much as 30% of home water consumption. The amount of water that your toilets consumes will depend on when the toilet was made. That difference can be thousands of gallons a year.

Assuming the average person uses it four times a day, this chart shows how much water is consumed (gpf or gallons per flush) depending on when the toilet was manufactured and how that affects usage over one year. 

If you have an older toilet, you can replace it with a new one or make a few minor changes to an existing one.
 

Replacing a Toilet

There are three possible considerations:

• Ultra Low-Flush Toilet (ULFT)
• High-Efficency Toilet (HET)
• Dual-Flush Toilet 

The Ultra Low-Flush Toilet (ULFT) came about when Congress mandated in 1992 that by 1994, all new toilets could not have more than 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf). When the ULFTs were first introduced, there were a problems with having to flush twice. Consequently, the toilets were redesigned, and now there’s more ‘power’ back in the flush.

The 1.6-gallon ULTF is now required nationwide for all new construction. If you have a newer toilet, you will see 1.6 gpf (gallons per flush) or 6.0 lpg (liters per flush) somewhere on the toilet. In some cities like El Paso and San Diego, you can get a voucher or rebate when you replace an older toile with an 1.6 gallon ULFT version.

The High Efficiency Toilet (HET) goes beyond the standard UFLT and uses less than 1.3 gallons per flush. When purchasing a HET, look for the EPA’s WaterSense label.

The Dual-Flush Toilet has been used in Europe for quite some time and it’s just beginning to gain some popularity in the U.S. This type of toilet provides two different flushes. One flush uses 1.6 gallons and is used for solids; the other flush uses between 0.8 and 1.1 gallons and is used for urine.

Making Changes to an Existing Toilet

If you can’t afford to replace your older toilet, consider two  inexpensive ways to change your existing one. These won’t make up for what can be gained in replacing the toilet, but they can help save a little.

• Add a Displacement Object - Put a brick, plastic bottle or bag in the toilet tank away from the assembly. The amount of water you displace will be the amount that is saved with each flush. If you use a brick, make sure to wrap it in a plastic bag so that its particles don’t break down and clog up the pipes.

A ‘Toilet Tummy’ displaces (saves) one-half gallon of water per flush

• Add a Fill Cycle Diverter - This is a small plastic device that can be attached to the fill hose to reduce the amount of fill cycle water by as much as one-half gallon per flush. This part usually costs about $1.

 Niagara Toilet Fill Cycle Diverter

Finally, don’t forget the other bathroom fixtures… A low-flow shower head for the shower and a faucet aerator for the sink can also reduce consumption.

When we think about recycling, items of utility may quickly to mind… but this year’s Red Bull Art of The Can exhibit shows another aspect of recycling. Each year since 1997, a call has been sent out for art created using Red Bull cans. Work is judged based on the overall idea, how well the piece translates the idea, and how well the piece has been constructed.

This year, First prize went to Evans Willeto for Ready to Fly, Second prize went to Scott Derrick for Reaching for the Edge, and Third prize went to Alexa Pederson for El Toro Rojo.

 Willeto, Pederson, and Derrick

There were lots of interesting entries… Gentlemen, Start Your Engines took nearly 500 cans and 70 hours to construct.

Amy Hawkes’ Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

Arthur Porter’s Red Bull Batwing Chaps

Heather Myers’ The Red Eye of the Storm

This year’s Red Bull Exhibit runs until November 5th at Southside on Lamar, which is just two blocks south of the Dallas Convention Center. Southside on Lamar is itself ‘recycled.’ Having been a former Sears Catalog Distribution Center in 1912, the upper floors have been remodeled into lofts, while the lower area features space for exhibits and shopping.

If you get hungry after the exhibit, stop across the street at Amuse. A friend and I stopped there for Sunday brunch and enjoyed Mexican fritata, breakfast tacos, and Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee. They also have an excellent brown salsa made with fire toasted tomatoes, basil, and olive oil.

One excellent resource for finding out how local lawmakers have voted relative to environmental issues is the National Environmental Scorecard, which is produced by the League of Conservation Voters. Here you can enter your state, zip code or lawmaker’s name, and find out how they voted on environmental issues. For one local zipcode, these individuals came up:

Clicking on a name brings up their voting record.

Let’s look at Kay Bailey Hutchinson, for example, who has a terrible voting record when it comes to the environment.  

Then you can click on a specific vote to get more details.

Finally, click on Complete Talley to see how others voted. 

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to tour the experimental Walmart in McKinney with the North Texas Environmental Meetup group. Walmart uses the McKinney store and another experimental store in Aurora, CO., to test environmental concepts before implementing them in other stores.

As you approach the Walmart from Highway 380, the first thing that stands out is the huge wind turbine. This is a high-end turbine with a specially designed tail. When the wind moves at a certain speed, the tail automatically folds to slow it down. This is necessary because efficiency can actually decrease if the turbine goes too fast. Impressive as this turbine is however, it provides only 15% of the store’s power. One of the two smaller turbines powers the huge Walmart sign.

One thing that is not noticeable as you approach the building is that the west side of the store is painted in heat reflective ceramic paint.

When the 12 of us first met the Walmart tour guide at the front door that Monday evening, we noticed ’squirrel cage blowers’ above the doors. These are used to move hot air coming from the outside and redirect it toward window vents along the ceiling.

The store is cooled largely by white fabric air ducts (Duct Sox). When the ducts are not in use and air isn’t running through them, they flatten. When air enters them again, they pop slightly causing an accumulative dust to fly off.

Duct Sox

The ceilings are one foot lower than in other stores, making it easier to cool and maintain consistent lighting. 

Lighting comes from skylights, LEDs, and CF bulbs. If you visit the store during the daytime, you’ll notice that most of the store is lit by skylights with some artificial lighting around the perimeter. The store also uses T5 bulbs instead of T8s. There is a ballast that lets the lights dim and turn off depending on the amount of sky light available. Skylights are placed every where except in the grocery produce section.

At the frozen seafood bins, the guide opened a door and we noticed right away that the doors do not fog up. This is due to three panes of glass and film. LED lights are used to light the bins. However, the 5000K LED lighting causes the products in the grocery cases to be viewed in ‘true colors’ and as the guide said, ‘Some vendors don’t like this.’ However, the payback for LED lights is 5 years and stores tend to remaintenance every 7 years on average, which creates a savings for Walmart.

The next stop on the tour was the men’s restroom. After the last man left, the 12 of us went in to see two waterless urinals. Each urinal saves 40,000 gallons of water per year. There is also a solar-powered faucet at the sink.

After this, we went to another room in the back where deli grease and used car oil are recycled to heat the store. Heating is also applied in cool months to the floor, which is polished concrete, consisting of  recycled coal ash mixed with concrete.

At the Garden Center, the guide explained how Walmart takes cardboard, plant material, etc. and sends the materials up to a place in Melissa where an organic compactor is used to create mulch. This mulch is then sold back to Walmart under the label ‘Plano mulch’ (even though it’s from Melissa). The Plano mulch sells for $3.97 and the next mulch sells for 4.05. It isn’t much of a difference, but as the guide noted, Walmart doesn’t have to pay landfill fees. 

Finally, one of the coolest things we saw was pervious pavement. This a pavement that appears cement-like and yet, it is porous enough that water can drain through it–reducing the usual problems associated with parking lot run-off. The guide turned on a hose and we watched as the water hit the pavement, but it never extended beyond a two-foot diameter. As the water disappears through the pavement, there is a French drain below that takes the water out to a pond. This pavement, which Walmart purchased from Stony Creek, is 14 inches thick. It’s 2 1/2 times stronger than regular pavement and it handles 10,000 lbs per sq inch versus concrete which is 3,800 lbs per sq inch.

Pervious pavement

In the parking lot area, you will also see heat islands, which are areas of vegetation that help absorb the heat that comes from the asphalt baking under the sun. (Only one area of the lot has pervious pavement; the rest has traditional asphalt.) The landscaping also includes a lot of drought-tolerant plants. 

If you’re interested in a tour of the experimental Walmart in McKinney, TX, you can contact the store and arrange a time. At present, tours are not given on the weekends.

One of the first steps toward becoming less dependent on the grid is to find out how much energy your house or apartment uses. From there, look at less expensive ways to get your usage down before investing in more expensive solar or wind alternatives.

As you look at energy practices, you will hear the terms: kilowatt and watt.

• Kilowatt hours are used by your electric company to track usage and billing. One kilowatt hour is equal to 1000 watts.
• Watt hours are used to describe the energy consumption of appliances, light bulbs, solar panels, etc.For example, if a washing machine is described as 540 watts, it generally means that the washing machine will use 540 watts for every hour that it runs.

Starting with your electric bill

Your electric bill should show how many kilowatt hours your house used during the billing period. You can find out your daily usage by dividing the total kilowatt hours by the number of days. (Billing cycles do not always cover a complete month.) Once you know how to find your kilowatt usage, you can use it to:

• monitor suage in subseqent bills to look for patterns and see an impact as you being making changes to reduce usage
• estimate how much power you will need for solar PV or wind installations

When I began looking at the usage for my house, I found that moderate months averaged about 18 kWh per day, but in the 3 worst months of a hot Texas summer, daily usage ranged from 35-40 kWh. (Obviously, the contributor to this increase was the central air conditioning.)

Reading Rex Ewing’s book, Got Solar?, and going through various websites, I noted the main energy culprits…

The energy usage for the big appliances will vary depending on its age, capacity (e.g., refrigerator volume), and Energy Star rating. For example, according to an article by Michael Organ, Launder White Clothes in Warm or Cold Water, “Generally, front-loading washing machines clean better, use less water and detergent, and are gentler on clothes.”

I was surprised to see the high wattage that is associated with some small appliances/tools. (Check out the examples below.)

Then there are the more insidious appliances/tools… things that we leave running often throughout the day:

These numbers will vary. For a more accurate estimate, check the installation or user guide that came with the appliance. Given the broad ranges for some of these appliances, you can see how much you can save by buying a more efficent model can save you.

Eventually, once you’ve estimate what you’re using and have taken measure so lower the energy footprint, you can use the information to begin sizing a system. For more information on this, check out the site, Six Steps To Sizing A PV System.

One of the first steps you can take to reduce your home’s energy footprint is to change you lighting. Typically, lighting can use 13% of a home’s electricity costs. Once you made efforts to turn off lights in unused rooms and such, consider saving energy and money by replacing your existing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs. CF bulbs produce the same amount of light but use a lot less watts than their incandescent counterparts.

• A 150 W replacement CF bulb uses 35W
• A 100W replacement CF bulb uses 25W
• A 75W replacement CF bulb uses only 20W
• A 60W replacement CF bulb uses only 14W.
• A 40W replacement Cf bulb uses only 7W.

Bulbs come in different sizes and shapes, including large exterior spotlights.  There are special CF bulbs that can work with dimmer switches.

Not only do CF bulbs use fewer watts and therefore cost less electricity, but they offer they advantages as well:

• They burn roughly 80% cooler than incandescent, so if you’re in a warm room and you have lots of CF lights on, you won’t have nearly as much heat.
• If you have lamp that takes only 60 or 40 watt bulbs, you can put a much higher CF bulb in it; therefore getting more light  
• CF bulbs are more expensive than incandescent bulbs, but they last up to 10 times longer, making them less expensive in the long run

CF bulbs do have have slight traces of mercury inside them; however, this doesn’t pose as a hazard unless:

• you break the bulb and begin ‘playing’ with the material
• you dispose of the bulbs carelessly and they end up in a landfill

The only disadvantages you will see with these bulbs is that:

• there is usually a slight 1-2 second delay when they come on
• they will burn brighter after a few minutes of being turned on
• they should be disposed of carefully (as you would other hazardous wastes such as paint thinner or Drano)

Finally, because the small amount of mercury used by a CF bulb is very small relative to the large amounts of mercury emitted by traditional coal-based electric plants, CF bulbs are viewed as a more environmental-friendly solution.

You can buy CF bulbs at Lowes, Home Depot, and even at Big Lots. They will fit in most (but not all) lamps.

From the Energy Star site: If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR, we would save enough energy to power more than 2.5 million homes and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.  

Another site where you can find more info is at cflbulbs.com.

The Pollution Scorecard enables you to identify several negative environmental factors in your county and the major companies that are contributing to those factors.

At http://www.scorecard.org/, type in your zip code and click Find Report to generate information for such factors as:

• major chemical release or waste generation
• top ranked ozone depleting chemical
• top ranked cancer risk (e.g., arsenic)
• top ranked noncancer risk (lead compounds)

Then, you can view how your county comparies to others or click on the Facilities link to find out which companies are contributing to the problem.

There are also links to investigate toxics, air, water, agriculture (animal waste), environmental justice, and health hazards.

The section, How Do You Use Scorecard? provides postings from groups and individuals on how they use the tool.

Below is an example of information retrieved for one Collin County zip code.