Water Is A Growing Concern For Voters - Prefer Conservation. Concern over water conservation and management for the first time rivals unemployment in the minds of voters in the West, according to recent data released by the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project. The study polled 400 voters each from Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, all which indicated water as a major concern for the state. Overall, four in five voters indicated "inadequate water supplies" were a serious problem, while half ranked the issue as very or extremely serious. When compared side-by-side with unemployment, water worries stand out as a hot issue for voters. In the 2015 study, 53 percent polled found low levels of water in rivers to be extremely or very serious, compared to 46 percent regarding unemployment. In 2014, these numbers were reported at 50 percent and 54 percent, respectively. The study also found that Western voters prefer water conservation over further diversions to address demand. In Colorado, 74 percent chose "using our current water supply more wisely, by encouraging more water conservation, reducing use, and increasing recycling of water," compared to 16 percent of voters that preferred "diverting more water from rivers in less populated areas of the state to communities where more people live."
Abu Dhabi launches Its Own WaterSense Program.
People living in new residential and commercial buildings in the UAE will experience a low flow of water from the water fixtures thanks to a new regulation will reportedly save 60 per cent of the water used in the buildings. The new regulation issued by Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) came into effect in early January and requires all water fixtures in the market to get a mandatory 'Water Efficiency Label' that certifies a low flow rate. Although the low flow rate stipulated for various types of water fixtures varies, on an average it will be 60 per cent lower than that of existing ordinary fixtures in the market, a senior official told Gulf News. Abdullah Al Maeeni, Acting Director-General of ESMA, said the water efficiency regulation applicable for manufacturers and importers of water fixtures has given then a grace period to remove non-compliant fixtures from the market. The grace period to stop manufacturing and importing non-compliant water fixtures will end on June 31, 2015. The grace period to clear the existing stock of non-compliant fixtures is December 31, 2015. Non-compliant fixtures will not be allowed in the market from January 1, 2016, the official said. The market share of water fixtures manufactured in the UAE is very low as most of them are imported, the official said. The fixtures with water-saving features are expected to make a huge impact on overall residential consumption. Tap use is the largest component of domestic water consumption in Abu Dhabi villas, according to a study conducted by the Abu Dhabi Regulation and Supervision Bureau (the Bureau), the emirate's utility regulator. The results of the study showed that tap use was the largest component of domestic water consumption, amounting to 34.3% of average daily household consumption. The other major categories were shower use (21.1%), toilet use (19.4%) and clothes washing (11%)
The Eiffel Tower To Get Upgrades Including Rainwater Catchment System.
Since it first opened in March 1889, the Eiffel Tower has been an icon of innovation. Now, as part of its first major renovation in 30 years, the tower can boast another technological advance: wind turbines above its second level that supply 10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, or enough to offset all the commercial activities on the building's first level, where a restaurant and gift shop are located. In addition to the two wind turbines, a slew of other new features are debuting at the Eiffel Tower this year, from a transparent walkway on the tower's first level to energy-efficient LED lighting. The tower is also installing a system to capture rain water, which will be used in the building's toilets. An array of solar panels, which will cover two renovated visitor centers, will also supply the tower with half the power it needs to heat the water in those rooms.