Water
GOAL: Avoid 30% of our projected water use
Goal (2030): Avoid 30% of our projected water use
Rolling 12 Month Total (March 2022-April 2023): 7%
We are currently tracking our water use for two buildings: The Mastercraft and the Ashton building. The graph above shows total water use for both buildings starting at their baseline and tracking per year. As of April 2023, our two buildings used 1,852,048 gallons of water over the previous 12 months.
Water consumption in the neighborhood is measured for both indoor and outdoor spaces. To motivate our water conservation efforts, we asked ourselves: If Millwork Commons were to use only the water that fell within the neighborhood’s boundaries, how much water would we have access to? In response to this question, the neighborhood calculated a theoretical water budget based on annual rainfall in Omaha.
Using this estimated water budget, Millwork Commons would have access to 42 million gallons of water each year. Our goal is to use only 70% (29.4 million gallons/year) of the neighborhood’s water budget. To achieve this goal, Millwork Commons identifies water saving projects in new design, construction, and renovation projects and relies on tenants to use water wisely.
Current Initiatives
- Installing efficient water-using fixtures that meet or exceed EPA WaterSense criteria.
- Following the Millwork Commons sustainable design guidelines to identify and implement water saving technologies and practices, such as placing submeters in appropriate locations to collect data and locating water-collecting infrastructure in strategic locations.
- Providing resources to tenants to help them practice water-saving behaviors.
- Reducing the amount of water needed in the neighborhood’s park and outdoor spaces by planting native and ecologically well adapted plants. Read about our work with Mullhall’s to create a native landscape and use innovative landscaping techniques to reduce water consumption and ensure the plants and trees in the neighborhood thrive for years to come!