Dual Flush Toilets at Women's Odegaard Restrooms
Executive Summary:
Roughly 50% of the water average American use at home comes from toilets. It is an unavoidable act of water consumption, but we are looking to minimize that usage. New technological advances are providing the world with water-efficient toilets capable of reducing water consumption while maintaining a level of cleanliness and sanitation. Our grant project aims to integrate dual-flush technology at the women’s bathrooms at Odegaard Undergraduate Library. Currently, the women’s toilet only has one flushing option at 1.6 gallons per flush. What we want to introduce is the same 1.6-gallon per flush for solid waste with the addition of a 1.1-gallon per flush for liquid waste. The Sloan EBV 550A Dual Flush Side Mount works as a sensor flushing system that will use a 1.1-gallon flush when the user has spent less than 90 seconds on the toilet and a 1.6-gallon flush for anything longer. There are also buttons for manual flushing for either option.
We are working with the UW Facilities Plant Services with Rich Dierck, Lance Karvonen, and Jeff Hnilo. We will coordinate with Lynda Ekins, Odegaard Building Coordinator, to find the best times for installation. Jeff Hnilo, UW Facilities and Services Plumbing Lead, will be assisting us throughout the project. We will work to install the Sloan EBV 550A Dual Flush Side Mount ($242.64 per, which includes a discount percentage for orders over 20 items) to all 23 toilets in the women’s bathrooms. This model simply replaces the flushing mechanism and will be a relatively simple procedure that will require one mounting kit per two toilets (12 total mounting kits at $34.95 per) (approximated installment fee: $3000). Outreach and informing UW members and other users of Odegaard Library will be done by all campus emails, posters, and signs (budgeted at $300).
We will also be in contact with the City of Seattle: Seattle Public Utilities to search and find rebate options for the dual-flush toilets. Because the dual-flush will be saving 0.5 gallons for every liquid waste flush (1.6 gallons for solid waste is the standard requirement), each toilet will be up for a $75-$150 rebate. On top of that, Odegaard has the opportunity to save further funds from lower water consumption. That number is subject to change until we see progress after the dual-flush mechanism has been installed. Getting the rebate requires us to fill out a form for approval that will be reviewed and subject for rebate.
In conclusion, the dual-flush technology has the potential to save considerable amounts of water annually. The UW Tower recently had a project very similar to this and experienced significant water conservation and cost saving. With the help of Jeff Hnilo, we are confident that we will be able to carry out this project in a timely and organized fashion.
Student Involvement:
Vincent, Robert, and Jeff Hnilo will oversee all operations.
Jeff Hnilo, Plumbing Lead N.E. Zone Facilities Services, will help us purchase the necessary items (Sloan EBV 550A Dual-Flush Side Mount and Mounting Kits) to be installed and work with UW Facilities and Services to install the dual-flush toilets at a proper time. We are working our idea with his recommendations to install dual-flush mechanisms at all women's bathrooms at Odegaard Library. The installation is a simple process as all we are doing is replacing the flushing handle with the new Sloan EBV 550A model. We will replace the existing toilet flush handle with a dual-flush mechanism and set to a 1.6 gallon flush for solid waste and a 1.1 gallon flush for liquid waste. This is an improvement over the current 1.6 gallon flush for all flushes. After purchasing we all will coordinate UW Facilities and Services have a UW affiliated workforce to install the new piece on all the toilets. As Jeff will be supervising us, if this project experiences any substantial long-lasting issues, it will be a simple procedure to switch back to the previous flushing mechanism, as only the handle has been changed.
Vincent and Robert will outreach to the UW communities and other Odegaard Library users. We will send emails and have posters and signs around Odegaard to teach users about the dual-flush toilets for the women's bathrooms. We will also use the outreach as a way to campaign for water conservation. This will be explained in more detail in the ‘Education and Outreach’ section. We will also be in contact with the City of Seattle to negotiate rebate deals for low-water consumption toilets to mitigate the cost of the project. Obtaining a rebate will require us to fill out a form for the project with all specifications and outreaching to coordinators to make sure Odegaard is given the rebate.
Education & Outreach:
We want to use articles, all-campus emails, posters around and inside of Odegaard Library, and informative signs inside bathrooms to educate users on what this project is and how to use the new toilets.
If possible, we would like to have an article published about the project. We feel that this will accomplish two things. Firstly, it will get the message out about the new dual-flush toilets. Secondly, it can showcase how UW, CSF, and its members are taking action to conserve water and be sustainable overall.
All-campus emails will be sent to all UW students, faculty, and staff with a short explanation of our project, why the dual-flush toilet is important for water conservation, and an explanation on how to operate the dual-flush toliet.
For those who may not check their UW email or who do not attend the school, will be able to see our posters both inside and around Odegaard library containing similar information to the all-campus emails. Just in case that those posters are missed by anyone, we will also have signs placed in the bathrooms and inside each stall holding each dual-flush toilet. Both the poster and the sign will briefly explain the purpose of the dual-flush and how to operate them. This process will use the $300 budget for supplies. We also want the signs to be long-lasting or pernament.
The outreach methods (emails, posters, signs) will include something similar to this: UW students, The Campus Sustainability Fund have introduced dual-flush toilets at Odegaard Library for the women's bathroom! The new flushing technology will auto flush at a lower 1.1-gallon flush for liquid waste when being used for less than 90 seconds and a 1.6-gallon flush for solid waste when used for over 90 seconds. There are also buttons for manual flushing where green is for the 1.1-gallon flush and silver is for the 1.6 gallon flush. We want to remind you that this new installation is completely sanitary and complies with regulatory standards. With this feature, you will be able to save millions of gallons of water every year! (additional pieces will include images on how to use them, other ways to conserve water, statistics on how much water is saved)
The big idea is that we want to reinforce how students, and any users of these toilets, are saving water. That little reminder can go a long way. I always notice the number of how many water bottles have been saved when I refill my bottle at a water-fountain station. These water-efficient toilets can do the same, thus letting students know that they are conserving with every flush. As we outreach to teach students about the new toilet installments, we want to also provide examples of other water conservation examples. Just a few tips or reminders that can help them lower their carbon footprint.
- Water
The installment of the new dual-flush technology will last indefinitely, until they are replaced with better technology, or if there is some kind of malfunction and a replacement is needed. Toilets and toilet handles don't break too often, so we are confident that this can be considered a project that will have long lasting benefits.
Environmental Problem:
We cannot live without water. In fact, nothing can live without water. Water conservation helps conserve our struggling environment, and every act of saving helps. After all, consistent savings add up fast.
Our dual-flush toilet project has the potential to save millions of gallons of water every year. Currently, Odegaard Library uses 1.6-gallon flushes for all toilets. While men have the option to use a sub-1-gallon flush urinal for liquid waste, women have no alternative to the 1.6-gallon flushing toilet. The dual-flush technology will save half a gallon of water when used properly, and that will add up fast and will make a difference. The installation of dual-flush is a simple procedure, as explained previously, and is a great opportunity for the University of Washington to continue to lead universities as a sustainable leader. Water conservation needs to be a way of life, not just an option we consider from time to time.
Explain how the impacts will be measured:
Water Conservation Impact: Our project will be saving water. More specifically, 0.5 gallons for when the toilets are being used for liquid waste. Water savings can be seen after installment when new utility-water bills are compared to older utility-water bills. This will give a good estimate of how much water is being saved as well as how much money is being saved. We aim to install dual-flush technology at all 23 women's toilets, and because Odegaard has such high-traffic, expect to see a considerable amount of water saved.
Mentality Impact: We want to address how our project can inspire people to act more sustainably. The signs and posters act as more than just inforamative 'how to use' this, they are also a reminder that the user is saving water. This is not only good for the person to know, but that individual may see that being sustainable can be simple. We want to include other sustainable habits on our signs, posters, and emails so users can find other ways to add sustainable habits to their lifestyles.
This funding request is a: Grant
If this is a loan, what is the estimated payback period?:
Budget:
| Item | Cost per Item | Quantity | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sloan EBV 550A Dual-Flush Side Mount | $242.64 | 23 | $5580.72-6000.00 |
| Mounting kit | $34.95 | 12 | $419.40-500.00 |
| Outreach supplies (signs/posters/etc.) | $300 | 1 | $300 |
| Installation Team | TBD | 1 | approx $5500.00 |
| Funds for error | 10-15% of total budget | 1 | $1700 |
Non-CSF Sources:
Timeline:
| Task | Timeframe | Estimated Completion Date |
|---|---|---|
| Purchasing all necessary pieces | 4-5 weeks | Late March-Mid April, 2017 |
| Writing the All-campus email | 1-3 weeks | Mid March, 2017 |
| Making outreach posters | 1-3 weeks | Mid March, 2017 |
| Making outreach signs | 1-3 weeks | Mid March, 2017 |
| Hiring a installation team | 4-5weeks | Late March-Mid April, 2017 |
