California, hailed for so long as the “Promised Land,” may be seeing a new kind of promise. The state has been suffering from severe water drought the past few years; the water crisis was so serious that Gov. Jerry Brown ordered a mandatory cut of 25 percent in water usage by cities and local agencies on April 1, 2015. While the state currently has a temporary reprieve due to winter rains and snow, 8 percent of California remains in severe drought. Rob Hunter, general manager of the Municipal Water District of Orange County, told NPR that California is “still in a drought.”
To be truthful, Southern California is almost always in some form of drought, but it’s not an emergency.
California’s water crisis has led colleges and universities across the state to take steps to help save water in any way they can. For many professors, this has meant inspiring students to think creatively about sustainability.
USC Sustainability Competition
At the University of Southern California, some students have been inspired to think outside the box in a very interesting way. One political science course, titled “Environmental Challenges,” has given students the opportunity to develop an idea for preserving water on campus and showcase them in an exciting way, through a competition. The Ninth Annual Sustainability Competition, described as a “key element” in the course, focuses on solving problems relating to the environment, particularly in areas concerning climate change. It was designed to drive USC students to come up with ways to help make their campus more sustainable.
The contest entries were judged by a panel of student activists with ties to the field of sustainability.
Water-reducing faucet
Students work in teams of two or three to research a project, develop a proposal, and then present it to their class. This year’s winning team consisted of Sarah Allen, Matt Stern and Riley Kiodhal, whose project featured a water faucet capable of reducing water use by aerating water. The water-reducing faucet can be easily screwed into existing faucets, and dispenses water in a similar fashion as a high-pressure garden hose. According to the university, this device would reduce water use by up to 98 percent per sink.
But the water-reducing faucet has the potential to save more than just water. With the current faucets, the cost of 1,000 hand washes is roughly $6; the cost would drop to just 13 cents with the new faucet.
“Shower managers”
The team’s proposal was not the only one designed to save both water and money, though. Fellow students Christina Braa and Greg Rosen pitched the idea of adding “shower managers” to every campus shower stall. The device would encourage shorter showers because it would reduce water flow by two thirds after the first five minutes. Braa and Rosen calculated that it would cost $18,750 to install the devices in each residence hall, but USC would save $500,000 each year because it would consume less water and less energy. In addition, the installation of these devices will help prevent 474 gallons of dangerous CO2 from being released each year.
Universities are key to sustainability
USC’s sustainability competition has inspired students to create devices that will save water and money. TUN spoke to Jeffery Sellers, associate professor of political science and public policy at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, who teaches the environmental challenges course, to get his thoughts.
Competitions like this are great fun, and help drive forward the search for more sustainable practices.
“Universities have a responsibility to serve as a model for the rest of society, and students can learn about how to push the sustainability forward whatever their eventual profession,” Sellers concluded.
