A Reader’s Guide to Saving 

Water, Energy, and Our 

Planet  
By: Kacey Darr 
 Table of Contents 
--------------------------------------- 
Introduction​……………………………………………………………………………………….3 
 
Public Education on Conservation​………………………………………………………..4 
 
Do People Take Conservation Seriously?​...........................................................7 
 
How Do We Use Energy? (On a Large 
Scale)​......................................................9 
 
Materials/Products that Aid in Conservation​………………………………………..12 
 
Case Study​…………………………………………………………………………………………15 
 
Parting 
Words​…………………………………………………………………………………….17 
 
References​………………………………………………………………………………………...1
8 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Introduction 
This Reader’s Guide is meant to act as an informative, yet persuasive piece 

of literature. Informative, to bring to a reader’s attention the many 

different ways to conserve energy and water in one’s everyday life, home 

life, and even work environment. Persuasive in the sense of how one can 

benefit greatly from changing bad habits to healthier, more 

environmentally friendly habits. Most people may feel that conservation 

can be somewhat inconvenient to partake in, however, it is much easier 

than it seems. There are many pros to better use of natural resources and 
this Reader’s Guide will highlight many of them and how you can do your 

part to save not only the environment, but also the planet. 

Public Education on Conservation 

Conservation is most often defined as ​preservation, protection, or 

restoration of the natural environment, 

natural ecosystems, vegetation, and 

wildlife. Most people think of conservation 

as turning off water when it’s not being 

used, such as when you brush your teeth or 

wash your hair, or turning off lights when 

you aren’t in a particular room, however, while those are methods of 
conservation, it goes far beyond that. There are many many ways an 

individual can conserve water and energy in their homes, actually, it may 

be much more simple than you’d think. ​There are many easy ways to 

conserve water and energy at home in our daily lives that can have a great 

impact on the environment/planet. Setting washing machines to either 

warm or cold water settings instead of hot 

can help reduce energy usage, as can turning 

down the water heater thermostat. These are 

great ways to reduce the amount of energy 

used in your home as is takes a lot of energy 

to heat water. Cleaning and replacing air filters as recommended can be 

helpful too. Dirty filters make it harder for air conditioners and heating 

systems to draw air through properly, thus, using more energy than is 

really necessary for air systems to do their jobs. Turning off lights, TVs 

and computers when they are not being used can help greatly, electricity 

uses energy! Insulating walls and ceilings better can save 20% to 30% on a 

residential heating bill, it can also reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Better 

insulation means you home can trap the warm air more efficiently in the 

colder months! In addition to insulating walls and ceilings, installing a 

programmable thermostat can reduce heating and cooling bills by another 

10%. Another easy way to save energy is through turning down the 

temperature on home refrigerators, this can be extremely cost effective as 

well since refrigerators account for about 20% of household electricity 

use.​ ​Shortening showers, even by just a few minutes can make a huge 

impact on the amount of water used in a household per year, there are 

even shower heads available that can assist in the conservation of water 

during each shower. Using commercial car washes, as odd as it sounds, 

can be helpful as well. Some car washes reuse water and dispose 

wastewater responsibly. A super simple way to use water efficiently is ice 

cubes. Everyone drops an ice cube occasionally, and when they do, what 

do they do with it? Most people just think to toss it down the drain but 

more efficient use for it would be to toss it into the flower pot of a 

houseplant. Insulating hot water pipes can conserve both water and 

energy as well. By insulating water pipes, you won't have to run water as 

long waiting for the water to heat up, because as a result, the pipes and 

the water will be able to hold heat more efficiently and it won't take as 

much energy to heat the water either. There are infinite ways to become 

more aware of your consumption of these resources. ​ ​One of the best 

thing about these easy steps to a more environmentally friendly home, is 

that most of them are free! While there is cost for insulation, it does not 

cost a single penny to simply turn off your lights, reduce water usage, turn 

down the heat on washers, dryers, refrigerators, adn thermostats! An even 

brighter side of participating, is that it can even save you money! Many of 

these techniques can be used universally. You can practice better 

conservation habits almost anywhere. More ways on how to conserve 

water and energy will be covered in a later chapter of this Reading Guide.  

Do People Take Conservation Seriously? 

In a 2016 journal article, a MENA report will discuss former climate 

change warnings and what the Securities and Exchange Commission 

(SEC) did in response. There was a guidance released in February of 2010. 

The SEC's impact pertaining to quantity and quality of environmental 

disclosures was generally seen as fairly limited. Ceres, a non-profit 

organization that supports the corporate climate-change-related 

disclosures, drew attention to an interesting observation. During the years 

of 2010 to 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a total of 

49 comment letters on the topic of climate change. However, throughout 

the next two years (2012 to 2013), the Securities and Exchange Commission 

had only issued three comment letters. These letters were issued to 

express and identify concerns related to climate change disclosures. Why 

only three? In February of 2016, notes had been released from a 

conversation with Securities and Exchange Commission that say that the 

agency hadn't really had any plans to establish whether any additional 

actions pertaining to disclosure of climate-related risks would be 

necessary.  

Another reason people believe that conservation isn’t taken seriously is 

that the United States doesn't have a specific government body dedicated 

to water conservation. While there are several agencies and programs and 

things, such as Environmental Protection Agency, their WaterSense 

program, the U.S. Dept. of Energy, these still are not fully dedicated to the 

conservation water. Water is a necessity for almost all living organisms, so 

it's important the inhabitants of Earth use if efficiently and responsibly. It 

seems as though many government officialls are not very worried about 

resources and being more environmentally friendly, but in an interview, 

Iowa Public Television asks President Barack Obama to provide his take 

on what others may not want to hear. His response was simply energy 
conservation. President Obama stated that as consumers we have to do a 

better job at conserving energy. This 

means that we must “change our habits,” 

such as driving big SUVs and leaving the 

lights on in our homes. He addressed 

climate change and how it is harmful for 

farmers and offered a solution by “capping greenhouse gases.” By capping 

greenhouse gases, he meant energy companies will have to “change how 

they generate power,” thus changing prices. Because of them having to 

change the way they work, they will have to change prices based on 

consumption. Obama stated that they’ll have to safeguard lower and fixed 

income homes, while higher income homes will have to pay more per unit. 

He made clear that it would not be painless, but small things like turning 

lights off in our homes will make a difference that won’t affect our long 

term living standards. He claimed that his generation and before have not 

been doing what is necessary to conserve energy, and they must have 

responsibility for the generations ahead. 

 
How do We Use Energy on a Large Scale? 

(Examples)  
A chapter of Climate Change Implications For US Energy Supply And Use 

covers energy use specifically based on 

heating and cooling and goes into depth 

about how different region and areas use 

heating and cooling, the effects of the 

climate, and longitude and latitude. 

Recent studies are showing that different levels of energy used for heating 

and cooling are different in residential, commercial, and industrial 

buildings vary. While buildings and local areas vary, the level of energy 

uses for heating and air conditioning are different all across the country 

and the effects of climate change all together have an impact. The balance 

of energy used for heating and cooling is spread across the country based 

on seasonal temperatures and climate. For example, extremely southern 

states like Texas or Arizona may show to be using higher energy levels to 

power air conditioning in the summer than say Connecticut or Maine.It 

includes information about agriculture as well pertaining to irrigation 

systems. It is likely that climate-change related decreases in energy used 

directly in processes like residential, commercial, and industrial water 

heating, along with an increase in energy used for residential and 

commercial refrigeration and industrial process cooling (i.e. thermal 

power plants or steel mills). Even though there are no new studies 

documenting exactly how detrimental these potential changes are, there 

is still an ongoing investigation on this topic going on in the U.S.   

A study also indicated that the government was using 50% of its water in 

hospitals, housing, and office buildings. After a Federal Technology Alert 

was put into place, the government looked into domestic technologies to 

save more water. A study in 1997 showed that the Federal Government was 

using about 300-400 million gallons of water EACH DAY. Cost per 1000 

gallons is about $2.08, so they were spending about $229-$250 million per 

year. Military facilities pay about $1.29 per 1000 gallons and other 

nonmilitary facilities pay an average of $3.82 per 1000 gallons. After the 

study was complete, the Federal Energy Management Program informed 

the government that they can save about 40% of the water they currently 

use by installing more water efficient fixtures in housing, hospitals, and 

office buildings. Many state, local, and federal government facilities have 

decided to have these conservation technologies installed, and while 

installation may be expensive, facilities saved more money annually than 

they spent on the installation itself. While this technology would be an 

advantage environmentally and economically have been laid out for us, 

there are still barriers and stipulations pertaining to the use of these 

products. Some do not get adequate information on the technology, some 

costs are currently low enough, some lack knowledge on the topic, some 

facilities lack funding for the installation, and there may be a few 

misconceptions regarding the use and benefits these products can bring. 

In conclusion, these water/energy saving technologies can be beneficial 

for any facilities all over the world and should consistently be considered 

when installing new models, building new building, etc. Even Federal 

facilities began to install things like faucet aerators, low-flow or sensored 

faucets, low-flow shower heads, low-flush and composting toilets, and 

low-flush or waterless urinals. Some facilities are reluctant, as stated 

above, to purchase and install these products because they believe 

performance will not be good, however, these technologies are designed 

to save water and energy without reducing performance. While these 

products are efficient in saving water, they also save money as well. 

Materials/Products that Aid in 

Conservation 
In a lecture video from a Films Media Group, a professor explains to us 

how there are many different products on the market to have a greener 

home. It is important to install water conserving fixtures (toilets, faucets, 

shower heads, washers, etc.). For example, low flush toilets. Older models 

of toilets used 3.5-8 gpf (gallons per flush), whereas there are toilets 

available to us that use only 1.6 gpf of water. Another example of available 

products are bathroom faucets and kitchen faucets. Through a kitchen 

faucets, there is pressure running though that faucet to put out 2.0 gpm 

(gallons per minute) and a bathroom faucet, while it does put out less 

gpm, they are still producing 1.5 gpm, which is unnecessary. It is 

recommended that people look into EnergyStar products that will aid in 

water conservation. The lecturer also explains how foreign countries 

 such as Japan and China will take 

over our plumbing industry 

someday, because plumbing 

companies, such as Toto, are 

creating much more advanced 

plumbing products that are more green and conservative, i.e. waterless 

urinals. While it would be good to install these types of products in your 

homes/buildings, just making a habit of the more simple ways, like 

turning the water off while you brush your teeth or not flushing the toilet 

more than once, will make a huge difference in water conservation/ 

consumption and even save you money. There are also many 

opportunities to use the water nature freely offers us. Collecting 

rainwater and storing it for later use will save you money and conserve 

water. In many instances, irrigation systems that water plants use 

distilled/purified water, when there's really no reason for it. 

There are also many ways to conserve 

energy using plants! If you pay attention 

to the layout of buildings/homes, you can 

easily determine different ways to 

regulate things like temperature. While heating and air is nice, planting 

trees can also regulate temperatures. Planting a tree in front of a window 

to shade it at certain points during the day will have a dramatic effect on 

the temperature in the building as a whole, allowing you to put the 

thermostat at more reasonable temperatures. Plants can also be planted 

to keep heat in in the colder seasons too. Plants can also prevent erosion, 

filter and retain rain water and minimizing the use of fertilizers and 

pesticides. While those are all helpful on their own, they will also help 

protect the quality of our air and water. 

Case Study 
The Federal Energy Management Program and the U.S. EPA identified 

water efficiency management practices for indoor water usage through 

toilets, show heads, faucets, and washers. Over the duration of 2006 to 

2007, a study was conducted in Miami-Dade County of Florida. 

Participants were chosen by their income levels. Low income seniors and 

any other low income residents in the area, that were living in houses 

built for single families before 1996, were asked to be participants in this 
study. The participants homes were retrofitted, free of charge, with the 

proper equipment need to partake in the 

study. Products included: high efficiency 

toilets, high efficiency shower heads, and 

faucet aerators. Homes were allowed up 

to two toilets, two shower heads, 2 

bathroom faucet aerators, and one kitchen aerator. Toilets (1.28 gallons 

per flush) were expected to save households about 34.7 gallons per day, 

shower heads (1.5 gallons were expected to save 28.0, and aerators 9.3. The 

purpose of this study was meant to review data and results to assess the 

water conservation quantities and associated effects (i.e. satisfaction level 

and change of water use habits) of the participants in the High Efficiency 

Fixture Retrofit Program. When the study was complete a phone survey 

was distributed to the customers. Questions included  

1.Water-using-related socio-demographic characteristics (i.e., address, 

gender, number of occupants in household, education levels of occupants, 

verification of the number and type of water use efficiency fixtures still in 

place at the residence); 

2.Customer satisfaction (i.e., ease of application process, scheduling of 

appointment, installation process, and use of product); 

3.Effects of the project (i.e., change of water use habits, monetary savings 

on water bill, recommendations to others on water saving devices, and, 

interest in trying new water saving devices); and 

4.Awareness of the program (i.e., obtained information from television or 

radio, awareness of other water conservation programs from MDWASD, 

and, knowledge of water conservation programs from other 

organizations).  

65.5% noticed changes in their habits, 76% of participants noticed savings 

in their water bill, 9.4% did not notice a change, and 14% were uncertain. 

However, after the survey was administered, full responses were received 

from 64 out of the 121 households (52.8%). The majority, between 81% and 

89% of participants, were satisfied with the study.  

Parting Words 
As this Reader’s Guide comes to a close, I sincerely hope each reader has 

been better informed on the topic of energy and water conservation, the 
importance of conservation, and the benefits and methods of conserving. 

Some resources may last forever, but others do not, so it is very important 

for each inhabitant on this planet we call home to be knowledgeable about 

how to take care of it before it is too late. We as a people must come 

together and heal the damages we have caused to planet Earth. With the 

simple ways of how to do this each day to how each one of us can benefit 

from changing some of our own habits, we can change the world for the 

better. 

Sincerely, your author, 

Kacey Darr 

Resources  
Resource Conservation. (n.d.). New York, N.Y.: Films Media Group.

Climate Change and Energy Supply and Use. (2014) (pp. 1–72). Washington, DC: Island

Press/Center for Resource Economics. ​https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-553-3

United States : Energy Sector Alert Series: Climate Change Disclosures in 2016. (n.d.).

MENA Report. Retrieved from ​http://search.proquest.com/docview/1771534654/

 Domestic water conservation technologies. (2002). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of

Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Lee, M., & Tansel, B. (n.d.). Water conservation quantities vs customer opinion and

satisfaction with water efficient appliances in Miami, Florida. ​Journal of Environmental

Management,​ ​128.​ Retrieved from ​http://search.proquest.com/docview/1431103147/

Anonymous. (n.d.). 7 EASY WAYS TO CONSERVE ENERGY. Accountancy SA, 4.

Retrieved from ​http://search.proquest.com/docview/1711533713/

Rozgus, A. (n.d.). Water conservation made simple.(Editor’s Viewpoint). Consulting

Specifying Engineer, 49(2).

IowaPublicTelevision, director. ​Barack Obama on Energy Policy and Conservation​.

YouTube​, 6 June 2008, ​www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUH4so7HBZ0​.