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Conference will be a truly significant gathering of the plumbing community . With what is already shaping up to be one of the most impressive schedules to date , the Melbourne Conference will no doubt be a testament to the dedication and efforts this Executive Board has shown to furthering the WPC and its causes .
In accepting his appointment , La Combre said , “ I am honoured to accept the role as chair of the World Plumbing Council and look forward to working with the newly appointed Executive Board to further promote and enhance the efforts of the WPC . As an international organisation , we have the ability to encourage and facilitate the sharing of information and best practice from around the world . I believe the global plumbing community has an important role to play when it comes to education and innovation within the plumbing industry and I am excited to be able to represent Australia in this capacity and make a real difference to the industry globally .”
Water saving product schemes across the world Labelling water-using products is a growing practice across the globe , with many initiatives being implemented . The global map ( Figure 1 ) shows the varying schemes already in existence across the continents . Consumer labelling has a pivotal role to play in influencing behaviour change , a fact that is already evident . Labelling not only provides the consumer with sufficient information to make an informed choice at point of sale , it also provides the manufacturer with a competitive tool and aids research and development for greater sustainable products . Quality water efficient products , and by its association energy , is only part of the equation . A change in behaviour is primary to driving efficiency measures . Consumers must be encouraged to undertake small changes such as :
• Turning taps ( faucets ) off when not in use
• Maintaining products in good working order
• Reducing shower times by one minute per shower
• Do not use the WC as a rubbish bin .
An increasing number of approved products across the world are being recognised as being water efficient . The schemes recognised by the World Plumbing Council are shown in Table 1 .
Water efficiency schemes recognised by WPC The introduction of effective product labelling promoting the value of using water wisely and demonstrating product efficiency is a positive , proactive step to having consumers commit to water efficiency and energy conservation . The prime challenge and objective for water efficiency is in preserving the world ’ s precious and finite water resources .
The World Plumbing Council supports the need to use water wisely and save water safely , and recognises that without water , there is no life and without sanitation , life is short .
To find out more about this subject , please contact secretariat @ worldplumbing . org
World Plumbing Council ’ s Research Database The World Plumbing Council ’ s Research Database , originally launched in December of 2014 , has now been operational for almost two years . For readers who may not be familiar with the database , it was created to provide users with the opportunity to learn about what is happening around the globe regarding research efforts pertaining to plumbing and water world plumbing related issues . The concept is to provide a resource to all interested parties , not only WPC members , but all who are interested in plumbing and water , to help learn about research efforts that have already been completed or that are currently in progress . The database also allows users to submit their ideas and recommendations towards new research programmes that support advancing the body of knowledge along those same topical areas . WPC hopes to reduce duplication of research efforts and facilitate a new level of collaboration among researchers through the utilisation of the database .
To date , the database has 107 registered users , which is about where the WPC thought we would be in terms of users now . However , utilisation of the database has so far been disappointing . Only 16 research efforts have been uploaded to the database and most of those have been by direct request from the database developers . The WPC seeks to increase the utilisation of the database in 2017 , and we ’ re hoping that we can continue to count on you to help spread the word about the availability of the Research Database and how it can help to highlight advancements in the plumbing and water industries .
What can WPC members do to help improve utilisation ? Two things . To start , continue to discuss the database with peers and colleagues , and point out the benefits that our industry can realise through increased utilisation . We as WPC members need to do a better job at directly reaching out to researchers from both academia and industry and ask them to upload their projects to the database . Whenever we , in the course of our daily
The World Plumbing Council Executive Board for 2016 – 2019 is as follows ( from top left to bottom ): Deputy chair : Tom Bigley , US ; Honorary secretary / treasurer : Ken Gardner , Australia ; Alberto Fossa , director , Brazil ; Dave Viola , director , US ; Top right to bottom : Elmar Esser , director , Germany ; Henry Hung , director , China ; John Joseph , director , India ; Kevin Wellman , director , England .
Continued on page 12 >> www . plumbingafrica . co . za March 2017 Volume 23 I Number 1