Falcon partnered with DigDeep, Save the Drop and many others to show Californians how much they can do with what little water we have, by hosting the first-ever “Empty Pool Party” in downtown Los Angeles. Collectively efforts between all partners and attendees saved 650,000 gallons of water. Read more and see pictures from the events in Planet Earth’s article here. current date time
Author: falconuser
Environmental Media Association covers our Partnership with Dig Deep for Empty Pool Party
Read all about our partnership with local non-profit Dig Deep and many other water conscious partners on EMA’s article. Collective efforts resulted in 650,000 gallons of water saved from the one-day event. French to Malayalam dictionary
CBS Covers Empty Pool Party Event with Dig Deep
CBS covers our work throwing the Empty Pool Party drought awareness party with Dig Deep, Save the Drop LA, the Mayor’s Fund, Change the Course and many more. Read the full article here.
FALCON IN THE MEDIA: THE HYBRID
Article originally published on Environmental Leader.com
Industry-wide high-efficiency urinal (HEU) adoption now allows plumbing fixtures to respond to nationwide severe drought by minimizing flush volumes, the company says. However, new research has demonstrated that supplemental water flows help keep the pipes behind HEUs clean. Falcon’s hybrid urinal technology uses this insight and periodically sends a large volume of water through the pipe system behind waterfree urinals.
This patented technology functions as waterfree in daily use and automatically performs a full gallon (4 liter) flush of the urinal and pipe system every 72 hours instead of trickling a small volume of water with each use like other HEUs. Falcon’s hybrid urinal technology’s automatic flush only uses 102 gallons of water a year no matter how many people use the fixture.
Falcon’s hybrid technology provides maximum United States Green Building Council LEED points and consistent and quantifiable water savings for sustainability professionals or those responding to drought conditions.
The estimated water saving of our existing technology has saved a total of 20 billion gallons of water over the last 10 years.
CALIFORNIA IS FLOOD PRONE
It’s hard to draw attention to flood management during a drought. Nevertheless, this is precisely the time to act to reduce future flood risk.
Damaging floods are common throughout California and over the past 60 years, every county has been declared a state or federal flood disaster area multiple times.
This winter the scenario looks like it will be no different and maybe even worst. Especially taking into consideration the extreme drought the state has been going through and the prospect of an El Nino fast approaching.
Before we start going down the all too familiar list of reasons why flood is likely to happen in the state, let’s take a step back and focus on a matter that’s been in the media lately which relates to this subject: climate change, population growth, and infrastructure investment.
California flood management faces significant challenges. There is a large and growing gap between flood infrastructure needs and rates of investment. Population growth and new development are increasing the threats to public safety and the economic risk from flooding. The changing climate is likely to bring larger and more frequent floods, with few intense storms after long dry months. That is how most of California gets its annual precipitation and when these storms occur, runoff flows rapidly into valleys and coastal areas, potentially creating high flood risk.
SPOTLIGHT: JENTRI JOLLIMORE FROM BADGER BALM
Welcome back! It is time for our Spotlight series. Today we will be featuring a New Hampshire based B Corp that we had the pleasure of getting to know through amazing online Twitter chats. We chatted up PR and Social Media manager, Jentri Jollimore, and got a some great insights. In this interview you will see how B Corp has the power of changing business relationships and how striving to work for better companies has become a common path to follow.
Tell us a little bit more about Badger Balm and the story behind the company.
Badger Balm started about 20 years ago when Bill Whyte was a carpenter building sustainable housing in New Hampshire. His hands were cracked, rough, and even bleeding! He concocted a balm to soothe his hands and a business was born. (You can read a longer version of the story here.)
We’ve grown into a company of about 70 people, and we manufacture almost all of the products here in Gilsum, New Hampshire. We are a USDA certified organic company, and we use only the highest quality, sustainably sourced ingredients.
In addition to making awesomely natural products, Badger also focuses on social responsibility. Every employee is offered a free organic lunch every day, and the company has a Babies at Work program and off-site, affordable child care.
What is your roll in the organization and what interested you in joining a “good company”?
I am Badger’s PR & Social Media manager, and most of my time is spent in the digital realm connecting with our customers and spreading the word about B Corps. I was interested in joining the Badger team because it’s important to me to work for a company that is aligned with my beliefs.
First off, congratulations on making the B Corp “Best for the Environment” list! Why did Badger Balm become a B Corp and what are the benefits the certification brings to the company?
Thanks for the congrats!
I believe Badger’s primary motivation for becoming a B Corp was measurement. From the beginning of Badger’s existence to the present Bill, Katie, Rebecca and Emily (family-owners) were focused on being sustainable and socially responsible. But there comes a point when you say, “ok, what’s next?” The B Corp certification provided not only a benchmark, but a group of like-minded businesses to share ideas with. Its collaborative system, and I think it’s a really healthy way to do business. Badger’s mandate has always been “Healing Products, Healthy Business” so from the beginning being a B Corp was a perfect fit.
Now that you guys have been a B Corp for a while what are the values you’re seeing for your business?
We’re growing as a business, and I believe having a structure around how we grow is helpful.
From my end it’s very helpful with customer communications. There’s a lot of jaded folks out there who are being over-marketed to. And since being “green” and “sustainable” has become big business, it’s become increasingly difficult for sincere little companies to communicate to them that we are the real deal. B Corp certification helps with this. Of course as the B Corp certification is still relatively new and requires a little education – but that’s win-win. Customers learn that we are a great company that is actually transparent, and they learn that there are many other businesses and services out there who are also working for the greater good.
“Business” is not a bad word. But there are businesses that could do better for their communities and the world at large. It’s up to public demand to determine this. And it’s up to the public to demand that these businesses not only tell us that they’re doing good, but to prove it by being totally transparent. So by encouraging Badger customers to learn about and support B Corps, we are doing our part to shift the tides a little.
How has the B Corp community affected how you do business and how do you interact with other like-minded companies?
Certainly we try to connect and source materials and services from other B Corps.
I like to connect with other CPG B Corps and spread the word through fun stuff like social giveaways. We recently did a spotlight and giveaway on Cuppow, which is a really cool company from nearby Somerville, MA. I’m a big fan of comradery in business – so we’ve even partnered with other body care companies like S.W. Basics to promote the B Corp movement on social media. It’s fun, which makes it more engaging.
Can you share a few next steps you guys are taking towards using business as a force for good?
We’re having a supplier’s day – well, 2 days actually – next week! I’ve attached the press release, but in short we’re inviting our partners here to encourage them to become part of the B Corp movement. I think that is one of the biggest impacts we can make as a company right now.
There you have it! Thank you Jentri, for taking the time to answer our questions and being a part of our blog. Don’t forget to check Badger Balm out on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Their website is pretty great as well.
MEASURING MOISTURE IN THE SIERRA NEVADA
The Sierra Nevada’s blue oak trees can tell many historical facts of the region, however the one scientist are focusing on is the amount of snowfall California has seen in the past 500 years. They have developed a method of measuring moister accumulation based on the blue oaks tree rings, and despite the current drought, the outcome of the study came as a surprise to the paleoclimatologist Valerie Trouet. “We expected (the results) to be bad, but we certainly didn’t expect it to be the worst in the past 500 years.”
To determine the result, the research team developed a model where the combination of two data sets of blue oak tree rings showed historical precipitation levels from more than 1,500 trees. By tracing a time frame and comparing the data, they came to the conclusion that the winter of 2015 was the driest in the 500 year spam.
When winter comes to California, these trees utilize the moisture stored in the soil to grow, therefore the width of their rings reflect the amount of precipitation from that season. The wider the ring, the wetter the winter.
This comes to show how we are migrating into a different world – one where temperatures are higher and there is a decline in precipitation. We have to adapt to the changes around us. A decrease in snowpack will automatic result in lower levels of water in California’s reservoirs. Even though El Niño is promising a rainy season, will the blue oaks in the Sierra Nevada tell a different story come winter 2016?
Read more about the importance of California’s snowpack here.
FALCON WATER FACT
California’s success in slashing water use in July by 31 percent — smashing the goal set by Gov. Jerry Brown — shows residents have come to terms with what four dry years have done to the state’s water supply.
The dramatic savings, reflected in state data on urban water use released Thursday, marks the second straight month in which Californians met or exceeded the 25 percent statewide target, dodging potential fines for water districts that fall short.
Brown lawns are the norm in many places and unwashed cars the expectation as the state’s big rivers and reservoirs have shriveled amid the drought.
The Wholesaler Covers Our New Hybrid Urinal Technology
The Wholesaler covers our new Hybrid Urinal Technology, offered through Sloan Valve Company, which combine a world-class, multi-patented urinal cartridge with revolutionary Jetrinse™ Solution Technology. Read the full article here.
STORY OF A RETROFIT: WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
Welcome back to our series of post where we will be showing before and after pictures of some of our installations. Have you ever wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes of a bathroom renovation? Well you have come to the right place.
Today we will be taking you inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall, in Los Angeles, California.
Designed by architect Frank Gehry, Walt Disney Concert Hall (WDCH) is an internationally recognized architectural landmark and one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world. From the stainless steel curves of its striking exterior to the state-of-the-art acoustics of the hardwood-paneled main auditorium, the 3.6-acre complex embodies the unique energy and creative spirit of the city of Los Angeles and its orchestra.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, management of the WDCH, knows Water conservation is a big deal in Southern California, so it’s no surprise that it has embodied a sustainable mindset by retrofitting their restrooms.
With fixtures that go hand-in-hand with California’s water conservation goal, the Walt Disney Concert Hall has saved an average of up to 40,000 gallons of water a year per urinal installed.
