 Australians are being challenged to save at least one million buckets of water through the new 'Every Bucket Counts' campaign launched today by Smart Approved WaterMark, Australia's water conservation labelling scheme.
The 'Every Bucket Counts' campaign features three online calculators that show how much water each of us can save with some simple measures. The campaign and calculators, which can be found at www.smartwatermark.org, were officially launched as part of National Water Week. "'Every Bucket Counts' makes it easy for people to see how much water they could save by choosing a waterless car wash product, installing a rainwater tank or by using a cover if they have a pool," says Julian Gray, CEO of Smart WaterMark. "We are calling on people to make a pledge online to save the amount of water the 'Every Bucket Counts' calculators show is easily achievable. If people make the commitment, then Smart WaterMark will donate $2 for every pledge to WaterAid Australia* to help programs in countries where every bucket of drinking water is precious." Speaking at the launch event Australian marathon swimmer Tammy van Wisse said, "The 'Every Bucket Counts' campaign is a fantastic opportunity for Australians to show we care about saving water. The calculators reveal how simple it is to make a difference. Together let’s save a million buckets of water and make every one count."
The three calculators are: Car washing
The size of your car (small, medium or large), how often and how you wash it are among the kinds of information keyed in for this calculator. With the press of the 'calculate' button find out how much water you can save by using a low flow cleaner, or a waterless car wash. Rainwater tanks
Not sure how much rain you get or how much you can collect from your roof? Don't worry, the 'Every Bucket Counts' calculator is very smart! It knows how much average rainfall you get according to your postcode, how much rain can be collected over a year for your roof size and what the saving will be according to the size of the proposed rainwater tank. The water collected by your rainwater tank can then be used in your garden, laundry or toilets, saving mains water for drinking. Swimming pool covers
Simply key in the size of your pool and some other simple facts such as the number of times it is used and topped up, then the number of litres of water saved from evaporation with a pool cover is calculated. Using your postcode, this calculator can even tell you if you are likely to get enough rain to keep your pool filled through the year! "On average people across Australia use around 23 buckets of drinking quality water each per day**. This drinking water is too precious to waste so we encourage people to make simple changes in their lives by using water saving products around their home as well as offering their pledge in the 'Every Bucket Counts' campaign," says Julian Gray. Visit www.smartwatermark.org to use the new calculators, for a full list of products and services, or more information about the Mark. * We will donate at least $5,000 to WaterAid Australia, up to a maximum of $10,000. ** Figures on domestic water use are taken from the Major Urban Water Utilities' National Performance Report 2006-07. We've assumed that a bucket holds nine litres of water. |
