Water

Overview

Environment Canada states that water use in the 20th century increased more than six fold, and continues to increase about twice as fast as the human population is increasing.

It is also shown that the current average North American diet requires over 1,800 m3 of water per person per year from both natural rainfall and irrigation; the diet of an average African living in the sub-Saharan region is produced with less than 650 m3 of water per person per year.

McMaster has been actively engaged in evaluating and decreasing our dependency on the municipal water system.  Please read on to find out how McMaster University is harvesting rainwater from roof tops to supply both potable and non-potable water to the campus community, and to find out how air is now being used to flush toilets in the David Braley Athletic Centre.

Resources:

Environment Canada

December 19, 2011

News and Events

The, $48-million, Engineering Technology Building has received L.E.E.D Gold Certification. Sustainable aspects of this building include toilets that will flush with rainwater that has been sequestered from the roof and lecture halls with state-of-the-art design which will maximize acoustics of the lecturer.