 |
||
|
Water |  |
 |
||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
Water Headlines for May 27, 2008Benjamin H. Grumbles Water Headlines is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water. In This Week’s Water Headlines:
Draft WaterSense New Homes Specification ReleasedOn Thursday, May 22 the WaterSense program announced a draft specification for water-efficient single-family new homes that provides the criteria new homes will need to meet to be certified and labeled under the WaterSense program. The specification is designed to ensure not only sustainable, efficient water use but also a high level of user performance satisfaction. "The WaterSense New Homes specification is family friendly and climate-ready," said Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. "Homeowners will save water, money, and energy and communities will have an important new tool for sustainable growth and water efficiency. It's a great example of WaterSense and Energy Star joining forces to help homebuyers save and communities respond to climate change." WaterSense labeled new homes will combine WaterSense labeled products with other water-efficient fixtures and practices to reduce the amount of water used by approximately 20 percent. The draft specification establishes criteria for water-efficient new homes. Homes must meet criteria in three areas: indoor water use, outdoor water use and homeowner education. Third-party inspectors will certify that homes meet all of the required criteria. Homes meeting all the criteria will be given a WaterSense label. EPA is inviting all interested parties to provide comments during the 60 day comment period which ends on July 21, 2008. Please send any comments or suggestions regarding this draft specification to watersense-newhomes@erg.com. (Please note, all comments become part of the public record.) EPA will also be conducting an online meeting on June 18, 2008 to discuss the draft specification. To register for the meeting, please fill out and submit the Water-Efficient Single-Family New Home Public Meeting Registration Form by June 10, 2008. For more detailed information and to obtain a copy of the draft specification for water-efficient single-family new homes, please visit http://www.epa.gov/watersense/specs/homes.htm. If you have questions about the draft specification for water-efficient single-family new homes or joining WaterSense, please contact the WaterSense Helpline at (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) or e-mail watersense@erg.com. Council of Large Aquatic Ecosystems EstablishedEPA Assistant Administrator for Water, Benjamin Grumbles, established a national Council of Large Aquatic Ecosystems on May 20th. "By sharing experiences and tools, EPA managers of these vast, but fragile ecosystems can accelerate environmental progress and strengthen needed partnerships," said Grumbles. The new council, made up of the director of each of ten existing large aquatic ecosystem programs and other senior managers, will work to support implementation of these ecosystem programs, facilitate communication among them, and improve links to core programs, budget and strategic planning processes, and research planning. The aquatic ecosystem programs included on the council are: the Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Long Island Sound, South Florida, Lake Champlain, Puget Sound, Columbia River, San Francisco Bay, and Pacific Islands. More information about the council is available at http://www.epa.gov/owow/pdf/large_aquatic_ecosystems_memo.pdf. U.S. Botanic Garden's Summer Exhibit, One Planet - Ours!, Focuses on Sustainability for the 22nd CenturyOpening Memorial Day week-end and running through Columbus Day on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States Botanic Garden's summer exhibition focuses on "sustainability" and demonstrates ways that each of us and our communities can live for tomorrow, as well as for today. Organizations from around the country are participating in this exhibit. EPA helped develop display panels on Green Infrastructure/Low Impact Development that are inside the Conservatory building as well as a number of displays in the outside adjacent gardens. EPA's Greenscaping Program has a display near the entrance to the Conservatory building which includes a rain barrel, composting bin, pervious pavement and other green practices. EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds collaborated with Penn State University's Department to build a demonstration green roof at eye-level. More than 40 exhibits on different aspects of sustainability are on display. The U.S. Botanic Garden's exhibit, One Planet - Ours!, opened May 24 and will remain on display through October 13, 2008. The U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory is located at 100 Maryland Ave., SW on the west side of the U.S. Capitol. The closest Metrorail stop is Capitol South. For more information on this exhibit, see http://www.usbg.gov/education/events/One-Planet-Ours.cfm. Subscribe to Water HeadlinesPlease forward this message to your friends and colleagues who share an interest in water-related issues and would like to hear from EPA’s Office of Water. To subscribe to the Water Headlines listserve: Send an email message, leave the subject line blank, and address it to: In the body of the message write: Subscribe Water Headlines first name last name (Please leave one blank space between each word, do not include any other message, and use your actual name- i.e. Subscribe Water Headlines Robert Jones)
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
