I have been asked to write a series of feature articles for
Sustainable Plumbing, a new quarterly green plumbing supplement to
Reeves Journal magazine, that will give a better picture of what we are teaching in our courses and what the benefit is to becoming fully accredited.
This first article will give an outline version of our "Caring For Our Water" section, which begins the series, and is the most elemental session. It is an 8-hour course, so you can imagine that it has been greatly abridged for the purposes of this article. In addition, a very important component of the GreenPlumbers courses that you cannot glean from an article is the live feedback and classroom discussion that is at times very "lively" with the differing opinions, viewpoints and experience levels of our diverse participants.
As I have explained before, the curriculum originated in Australia and was originally intended only for the licensed plumbing practitioner. The curriculum was adapted for the U.S. and we don't maintain the prerequisite that the student MUST BE a plumber. In fact, we welcome the student of green building, the architect, the mechanical engineer, the designer, the building/plumbing inspector, and even the water agency official along with the plumber because we understand how important it is for all the parties be "up to speed" on the technologies and practices we promote in our courses. In order for water conservation to happen, there must be a sort of universal awareness among the various stakeholders in any sustainable project.
Before getting into the outline of the topics covered in "Caring For Our Water," I first need to mention that another integral element in our courses has less to do with technology and everything to do with behavioral and conceptual changes. What I mean by that is that we not only teach the technical terms, system designs, new technologies and innovations in water conservation, but we also help the plumbing contractor to conceive of him/herself in the highly regarded place of being the guardian of health and safety of the community. The importance of safe plumbing practices is often glossed over or misunderstood by the general public and the image of the plumber is sometimes scoffed at, as being of minimal importance or even a "lowly" position.
Our courses also discuss-in depth-behavioral changes that help the plumber to embrace his role of Champion of Conservation, as the GreenPlumber is seen in his community.
And now on to the course itself...
First and foremost this course is designed to help the plumber develop skills to effectively increase water sustainability and help to improve the management of the water cycle in local communities. All of the coursework is undertaken within the plumbing and services sector with all relevant U.S. Codes and Standards. In order to demonstrate achievement of the skillset, all of the following topics will be tested and successful completion of the comprehensive N.I.T.C. exam will confer upon the plumber the designation "Accredited GreenPlumber." It should be noted that the exam is supposed to be taken after the completion of all five sections of the curriculum--a full 32-hours of study.
Water Cycle Process
The definitions of Urban Water Cycle Management Process is studied and discussed. Most of the discussion revolves around local circumstances and the different local agencies that serve the communities. The local supply system is explored and it is put into context of a national and international picture and how each is operated and managed. Local drainage and treatment systems are discussed and explored as well as the government's policy on water sustainability. There is a historical component to this class section that includes study of ancient civilizations, modern cultures and the vast disparity between supply of, treatment of and policy on water throughout the world.
Water QualityWe specify the stages of the water treatment process and often have guest speakers from the local area treatment plants come in and discuss special features of their treatment systems and also alternative sources of water for urban use. We touch briefly on the different local catchment potentials for urban use.
A large part of this discussion centers on the potential problems associated with maintaining water quality including monitoring and testing procedures to help maintain the quality of the network. The plumber is taken through an evaluation to categorize the water quality of different classes of water to determine their "fit for purpose" applications.
Water Consumption Methods
It is important for the plumber, or the student of green building, to be able to compile information on water consumption methods. Students are urged to identify the sectors that are high water consumers and the effect on local water restrictions and limitations.
We teach the plumber to estimate the amount of water used by certain sectors and even by individuals, using appropriate assumptions and industry-accepted standard calculations. We use the UPC Standards for Plumbing Fixture Water Use and measure against the high-efficiency fixtures or proposed conservation measures to gauge and report the savings potential. In addition, we use the assumptions presented by the LEED rating system.
The plumber thus gets his feet wet (pun intended) in documenting and analyzing water and energy savings...this exercise is much more in depth and can be built upon in the GreenPlumbers "Inspection Report Service" class.
Identifying Potable Water Efficient Products
While GreenPlumbers makes every effort to remain unbiased, we do discuss brands in our classes. We find it impossible to have an effective product discussion and not discuss name brands-there are always several brand names mentioned in each class either by the instructor or by the attendees.
We go through each sector of water-consuming fixtures including, but not limited to: water closets, showerheads, kitchen and laundry faucets, washing machines and irrigation systems. We teach about the different rating programs and labeling methods to identify and differentiate water efficient products. We explain how to use the various testing and performance standards with the end consumer/homeowner and teach the plumber how to use these tests to solidify the case of performance despite conservation.
It is well-known that most consumers equate a fixture's low water usage with the fixture's poor performance...more is better, right? Wrong. We show how the high-efficiency fixtures are highly engineered products that, in most cases, actually outperform their water-guzzling counterparts!
We also discuss ways in which the local water agencies promote their rebate programs to offset the cost of replacing a water-wasting fixture with a high efficiency fixture. Local rebates, government incentives and compliance are all covered. Often, we will make a request and the local water agency will send a speaker to address our group and discuss local conservation initiatives.
Alternative Water SourcesA brief overview of suitable alternatives to potable water supplies is discussed. This topic is covered, in depth, in the Water Efficient Technologies section but for introduction purposes we go over the process involved in determining the appropriate alternate water source and its "fit for" usage. Here we DO highlight potential health risks involved with alternate sources and pertinent codes applicable to each-again, very briefly because they are expanded in the "Water Efficient Technologies" segment. The follow up discussion features the important care and safety requirements for maintaining an alternative water source.
Domestic Waste Water Treatment
Domestic Waste Water Treatment is also known as an On-Site Waste Water Treatment System, and this course outlines a range of domestic treatment products and processes and their applications. We cover the different types of systems and their basic designs and also identify all of the components of each system. Health hazards and environmental concerns are identified and discussed, as well as how a plumber might choose a suitable system for the application in question. We provide a checklist to ensure code compliance and successful permitting on such a water treatment system.
Health, Environmental Best Practices We urge the plumbers to develop a list of advisements that are going to foster a sense among consumers to consider the plumber as a consultant. We urge plumbers to select a range of environmentally friendly plumbing products that they are comfortable with, familiar with and, most importantly, that they have tested and vetted themselves.
We urge networking with different manufacturers, distributors and even different trades (Maybe with a landscape installer for outdoor irrigation, for example). We highlight the importance of an effective stormwater drainage system and sewerage system. We suggest that they each make a list of recommendations to the consumer regarding the conservation plumbing installations, health, safety, maintenance and cost of such systems and finally we talk about the real forum for such recommendations to the customer face-to-face which is the "Inspection Report System" course, aka the "Water Audit" course.
In closing, I would like to state that the curriculum is far more vibrant and robust than can be explained on paper. Each class section is different and the unique make-up of the students always provides a fun, dynamic learning environment focused on how a plumber can greatly impact the conservation of our most precious resource.
For more information on GreenPlumbers USA and its certification programs, point your Web browser
to the GreenPlumbers USA Web site.
