KOHLER, WIS.—As part of its goal to educate building professionals and consumers in California on reducing water use, Kohler Co. has joined Connect the Drops, a California advocacy campaign highlighting water stewardship efforts. The campaign brings together companies operating in California to initiate collaborative public-private solutions because of the state’s severe water shortage and unprecedented water reduction regulations implemented this year.
Kohler, a leading brand of kitchen and bath plumbing products, sells its products in California through numerous leading independent distributors and retail outlets. The company is working closely with its sales partners to promote upgrades of bathroom fixtures and faucets to today’s water-efficient models, which carry the EPA’s WaterSense label. The WaterSense program was introduced in 2006 to encourage the use of water-efficient plumbing products.
According to research conducted in early 2015, less than 10 percent of toilets in California are high-efficiency WaterSense models, which use 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf) or less, and more than eight million toilets in the state use 3.5 gpf or more. Despite the drought conditions in California, less than 25 percent of bathroom faucets and showerheads meet the WaterSense specifications.
“Kohler has encouraged water conservation since the 1970s,” says Rob Zimmerman, Senior Channel Manager of Sustainability. “Updating existing plumbing fixtures to more water-efficient models is one way Californians can take action towards current water use reduction goals and help their state save billions of gallons of water each year. Plus, California’s success in addressing this issue will serve as a model to other states that may face drought or other water issues in the coming years.”
Connect the Drops was developed by Ceres, a nonprofit organization advocating for sustainability leadership. The campaign highlights the actions of sustainability-minded companies to address water supply issues and provides interested companies with opportunities to engage policy makers, water utilities and others on the need to “connect the drops” between sustainable water supplies and the economic health of California. The centerpiece of the campaign is a declaration participating companies sign that gives voice to the economic benefits of sustainable water management and highlights the important connections between healthy water supplies and the vitality of the California economy.
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