Saving Water Never Looked So Beautiful - USANA Green

Anyone who knows me is aware that water is very dear to my heart. I would do anything I can to protect her as she is the very source and sustainer of life. Even those who are interested in going to other planets the discussion soon turns to the need for water. We cannot live without it and this precious resource needs to be conserved, cherished and skillfully used even more  now and forever. Usana Health Sciences has done much to conserve and preserve water in the state of Utah, one of the driest states in the nation. In this article that serves as a guest post, Usana goes into detail as to why and how they are doing this. This responsible approach towards resources used is just one of the many reasons I am so very proud to be a part of this company sharing Dr. Wentz and his son Dave Wentz's vision for True Health for all mankind and our dear Mother Earth. Let us take nothing for granted and be blessed.  - Ekayani

USANA Green: Saving Water Never Looked so Beautiful

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Spring comes in stages, replacing the yellow of winter with an optimistic new green one piece at a time. It starts with the grass, blade by blade accepting the new season. Then there’s the trumpet of leaves budding on trees, which, in their fullness, sound the coming arrival of flowers.

Such is springtime outside USANA’s Home Office. The award-winning landscape that surrounds the building comes to life with the longer days and occasional spring showers.

But spring also signals the approaching end of the wet season. Utah is the second driest state in the United States, and in a few months the green promise of spring will be washed away by the waves of the unrelenting summer sun. To preserve the bloom of April and May, many turn the sprinklers on, opening the floodgates to a season of high water usage.

At USANA, there’s no need to choose between beauty and water conservation.

“If you want to save water, there’s a lot of different options,” said USANA Green Coordinator Jeff Robertson. “We went with xeriscaping because we wanted to provide a space that was not only water-efficient, but was beautiful and functional as well.”

Xeriscaping is a technique designed to maximize water savings by using native plants that thrive in dry climates. USANA’s xeriscaping—done by the facilities team—uses Utah’s indigenous wildflowers, native grasses, shrubs, and swaths of rock to save a million gallons of water a year and provide added aesthetic benefits. The one million gallons saved accounts for about 10 percent of USANA’s total usage.

Even with the growth the company has experienced, the xeriscaping—one of the first projects to come to life through the green efforts—is still allowing USANA to stay water-wise. More employees mean more toilets flushing, more hands being washed, and more water bottles being filled up. The addition of a new manufacturing line has also added demand for water. But USANA has been able to keep usage to 800,000 gallons a year—still under the baseline level established in 2007.

  Water-saving improvements inside the building haven’t made the same visual splash as the xeriscaping, but USANA has rolled out various projects to keep interior usage down. Sinks operated by motion sensors have been installed in the restrooms. And a small, but impactful, step was taken when USANA changed out old 2.2-gallon-per-minute aerators in favor of more efficient 1.6-gallon-per-minute versions. Aerators attach to the bottom of a faucet and add air so there isn’t a steady stream of water, which saves in the long run. Robertson said USANA has also looked at other measures, including water-free urinals, but hasn’t pulled the trigger yet.

Not only is USANA saving water, it’s minimizing the impact its manufacturing has on ground water. The wastewater created by the production of USANA’s products has no significant contamination in it. Robertson said the local organization that tests wastewater had to come back and test again because they couldn’t believe USANA didn’t have anything significant going into wastewater.

In the arid Western U.S., water is a precious commodity—one to be cherished, not wasted. That’s why USANA is making the most of its water usage, and, in the process, showing that conservation and beauty aren’t mutually exclusive.

Hot Topics Other Than Skin - Wind Water Turbines Power Renewable Energy

This weekend was a big one for education. I attended a couple of seminars a notable one being on Wind and Water Turbines a second installment in a discussion series with the general public sponsored by ReNew New York. A sold out standing room only crowd gathered at the Cathedral House of Saint John The Divine in Manhattan's Morningside Heights. Saint John is to be commended for it's long history of extending the spiritual dialog beyond the pulpit and expanding it to the creation that we all live and work in whose resources we use mindlessly day after day as we were inculcated to do as consumers. Sunday 2/19 we heard from Mateo Chaskel a coordinator for an outfit called Urban Green Energy (UGE) and Dan Whatmoor of Verdant power that is currently running a pilot program in the East River. Moderated by Dr. Lisa DiCaprio Clinical Associate of Social Sciences at NYU and a member of the NYU Sustainability Task Force the pair spoke on how they are using marine and wind turbines to generate power into the grid. Whatmoor 's Verdant power is the first to get a commercial license for marine turbine power in New York a lengthy process spanning 9 years. Currently there are 30 wind turbines installed by Verdant in the narrowest part of the East River with mechanisms placed on Roosevelt Island. One third of that part of the river is cordoned off for use while two thirds is free  using a total of 1.6 acres for the project. "The project, owned by Verdant Power and known as the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project, is 1,050-kilowatts and uses the East River’s natural tidal currents to generate electricity. Turbine generator units are mounted on the riverbed and capture energy from the tidal flow. The pilot license issued to Verdant Power is for 10 years."  Funding has come from various sources such as the NYC Development Corporation and there has been a kind of bidding war from multiple companies seeking to buy this "tower" that isn't even out of the development stages yet. Verdant says they are adaptable manufacturing scalable turbines. The river turbine looks like a windmill with blades pointing down into the water utilizing the current of the river to move the blades and generate power. The speed and depth of water determine the amount of energy generated. Water is 800 times more dense than air and that fact  brings to mind the film "The Weight of Water" starring Sean Penn.  Many questions were posed about the long term environmental impacts on fish and fowl which is top of mind due to Pete Seeger's Clear Water Foundation who had a book table  at the event.

A baseline has been taken to monitor conditions pre and post. Whatmoor did mention that in observations fish swim along the banks of the river when water is moving fast and that fish were found in and around the turbines when water was moving slowly although we are not sure if they suffered harm.  Working with various groups like Marine Fish and Wildlife organization  were a part of the equation to meet minimum standards for eco- safety but in an underestimation of the audience's interest we were not told what those standards were. Other questions concerning safety in the event of storms was raised. "Mechanisms" although it was not clear as to what kind - are in place to minimize any damage that would occur. From what I could surmise it is possible to store energy created in a kind of battery. The soft spoken Mr. Chaskel was harder to hear and understand as this reporter was seated out in the hallway. UGE uses a hybrid wind and solar system. Based in New York City they design and manufacture for residential and commercial use and claim they have  installations in 60  countries.
My overall impression was that there was an under estimation by the speakers, organizers and church of the passion and enthusiasm that New Yorkers have for this topic of renewable energy. The speakers would do well to go more in depth by offering detailed answers, tours and even workshops that one's teeth can be sunken into. Here in the Big Apple we are all to painfully aware of the huge amount of energy and waste this city uses  and generates on a daily basis. There is a heartfelt desire to involve children and centers of education in the dialog and action of making New York City truly a green city.
For More on Companies using Wind Energy Visit Usana Green
The next installment on The Boiler Dilemma will be held at The Community Church of New York 40 East 35 Street  March 22 from 6 to 9:30pm Suggested donations of $5 - $10 appreciated.