I understand that nobody really wants to give up luxury when it comes to bathing; using a 1.0 GPM (gallon per minute) shower head isn’t a great experience, but 12 GPM?  Really?  When I lived in Australia I had friends that only bathed every other day, or had to share bath water among family members, because their water was so limited.

They also talk about the cost of some of these water hog shower heads being in the thousands of dollars!  Why would you spend that much for a piece of brass with holes in it?  You can get an Oxygenics® Evolution, multi-function, hand held shower head with patented pressure increasing technology for less than $60.

Cash you don't need to spend for a great shower

I have an Oxygenics® Storm rain style shower head in my home; it puts out roughly 1.8 GPM at my 57 PSI (pounds per square inch) water pressure.  With that 1.8 GPM I get plenty clean, plenty fast, and it’s an enjoyable shower.

Oxygenics® Storm

Not only is the 12 GPM head using 6 times as much water, it’s 6 times as much hot water, meaning there was 6 times more electricity or gas used in the heating process, and that’s 6 times more water going to the local water treatment plant, which uses electricity to run all of it’s processes, and the list of addition resources and expenses just keeps building.  There’s a knock on effect that people just don’t think about.  You know a butterfly in Africa causes a typhoon in Japan kind of thing; only this scenario is real, and can be tracked and measured.

Now I’m not a big tree hugger, save the whales, global warming fanatic, but shouldn’t we all make an effort not to waste our natural resources?  Especially when you can get a luxurious, enjoyable, spa like experience at less than 2 GPM, and for less than $60, with an Oxygenics® head?  Makes sense to me.

“Savings obtained by leisure group

The Legacy Hotel & Resorts International Group …. has opted for the Oxygenics range …. “Following successful performance testing of the Oxygenics SkinCare showerhead we installed these units in a number of our hotels and lodges as a pilot project” informs (Mike) Devereux (group development manager) …. The results showed large savings of both water and electricity …. Legacy has decided to specify the range across the group because of the savings obtained. ”

You can read the full article here.

Click on the Legacy logo above to see their home page for South Africa.

It is estimated that there will be more than 300,000 visitors to South Africa for World Cup this year.  That’s an additional 300,000 people drinking, washing, rinsing, showering, and many other uses of South Africa’s fresh water resources.

World Cup lasts for 30 days, but let’s say the average visitor for the event stays for a total of 6 days and only showers once per day.  With 300,000 visitors, that’s an additional 1.8 Million showers taken during the games.

With the average shower in South Africa using 15-25 Liters of water per minute, with a low estimate of 15 L/min that comes out to an additional 27 Million Liters of water used, just for showering, within a one month time span.

If Oxygenics self pressurizing water conserving shower heads were used, with flow rates of 6-9 L/min that additional usage could be cut in half.  Imaging saving 13.5 Million Liters of water across South Africa in 1 month.  That’s 20,282,450 bottles of drinking water!

Now imaging the knock on effect of using that much less water in the shower.  13.5 Million less Liters of waste water being sent through local treatment plants and 9.5 Million Liters less being heated, reducing energy usage by 326,000 kiloWatt hours, which is enough to power 75 average South African homes for a year.

To see more information about saving water in South Africa take a look at Eternally Solar’s website.

What? That’s right, save Dad money by buying him a gift. Chances are your father is the most concerned with water usage in your household. This year buy him an Oxygenics® showerhead. First of all, they are self-pressurizing (ie they don’t use excess water to create that strong shower Dad loves). Secondly, Oxygenics® showerheads use substantially less water and energy than other showerheads. Using less water and energy means big savings when it comes time pay the bills. Lastly, these showerheads are guaranteed for life never to clog or fail! This potential gift will pay for itself, last a lifetime, and save additional money in the longrun…not too shabby. To take a closer look visit www.oxygenics.com.

1. Turn the water off while brushing your teeth and washing your face (instruct other household members to do the same).

2. Water your lawn in the early morning, or after the sun has gone down (otherwise it is evaporating faster than it can be absorbed, and be effective).

3. Keep a container of water in the refrigerator (you will save time and water with this one), why wait for the water to cool down for that refreshing sip, when it could be waiting for you.

4. Consider installing a water-efficient showerhead (www.oxygenics.com makes a variety of self-pressurizing, water-conscious showerheads).

5. Use a rain barrel to collect water for indoor/outdoor plants.

6. Plastic containers (ie milk/juice jugs) can be filled with pebbles and placed in a toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush. Make sure you are not placing these in the way of any important toilet mechanisms.

• Step 1: Install an Oxygenics® low-flow showerhead, and save money on water and energy bills over time. Oxygenics® models don’t reduce water flow, and they use about 2 gallons of water per minute. Conventional shower heads use about 6 gallons per minute.
• Step 2: Save more water by installing an ultra-low flush toilet, which typically uses just over 1 gallon of water for flushing. Compare performance reviews before buying this type of toilet, because some models may clog. Dual-flush toilets have two knobs that allow users to conserve water by selecting the amount needed for flushing waste. Pressure-assisted toilets also save water and use compressed air for efficient flushing, but they can be noisy.
• Step 3: Consider using ceramic tile for floors, countertops and walls surrounding the tub and shower. Ceramic tile is less prone to damage from moisture, and its negative impact on the environment during the manufacturing process also is low. Some tiles are even made from recycled products, such as discarded bottle glass. Natural linoleum and finished bamboo are environmentally-friendly flooring options as well.
• Step 4: Look for wheatboard bathroom cabinets, which are typically made from wheat straw and a nontoxic binder. Cabinets made from conventional particleboard and medium-density fiberboard, known as MDF, can emit toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde. Cabinets made from supportive, harvested wood are another eco-friendly option.
• Step 5: Prevent mold and mildew by installing a bath fan that reduces moisture. Make sure the fan is safe for installation over tubs and showers.

Their goal?  To replace half a million water and energy wasting shower heads with efficient, conservation heads.  This would result in over 1 Million tonnes of carbon not being released into the atmosphere each year!  That’s the same as over 300,000 cars permanently removed from the roads!!

This is one company.  What are you doing to make a difference?

Visit http://greenlivingideas.com/topics/eco-home-living/housecleaning/spring-cleaning-checklist on how you can save!

If you are re-doing your bathroom and water conservation is one of the things you want to implement this Spring, visit www.oxygenics.com.  Use promo code: oxytricia to receive 15% off your order.