Eco Factor: Saves about 75% of water resources and taps into water harvesting to conserve water.
The University of British Columbia houses a very innovative building, the 30,000-square-foot C. K. Choi Building. On the face of it, this one looks like any other building. But once you enter this place you will realize that it is one of the best examples of a structure that conserves water. The building has no sewer system and never uses water to flush toilets. Before you start running for cover, it is all supposed to be a good thing. The building uses composting toilets and foam flushes to make sure that water usage is kept to a minimum.
The composting pit is maintained by a company named Clivus Multrum, which converts the compost into energy or just uses part of it as fertilizer. Even the gray water from sinks is recycled to water the beautiful Lily garden, and rainwater is harvested and stored in a 7,000-gallon tank. While a conventional building of the same size uses up 7,000 liters of water per day, the Choi uses just 500 liters. This is one green building that will never run short of water or even worry about the water bill!
The Dark Side:
There is very little that you could fault with the fabulous system in place. Maybe now they should start thinking about conserving energy in lighting needs.
Via: Metaefficient
