Water

Low-Flow Toilets and Showers

Over the past few years, Concordia began installing low-flow toilets and showers. Water-saving shower heads have been installed in residence halls using 30% less water per shower head.

Low-flow toilets use just over a gallon of water per flush—half the amount of water that standard toilets use. Furthermore, low-flow showers emit 2½ gallons of water a minute compared to the standard four gallons per minute and, by reducing water flow, also reduce the amount of energy needed to heat the water. Estimated savings are over one million gallons of water per year.

Plumbing also installed new water softeners for energy saving efforts. The new water softeners use 25% less salt and use less water per regeneration. This has cut the costs of water and sewer charges.

Trayless Dining

By choosing to forego trays in the dining hall in 2009, Concordia saves a large amount of water. Each tray needs ½ gallon of heated water to clean. Each person will personally save almost 500 gallons of water annually. Every semester, Concordia saves approximately 200,000 gallons of water; enough to fill Prexy's Pond! This is in addition to other benefits, including cost savings and a reduction in food waste.

Bottle Filling Stations

The Plumbing department is transitioning to bottle filling stations, and has installed stations at various locations across campus to reduce plastic water bottle use. To date, 14 stations have been installed in 9 buildings.

Long Lake property

Concordia recently constructed an eco-friendly classroom/lab on its Long Lake property near Detroit Lakes, Minn. The college also reshaped and protected the shoreline with natural plants. The newly landscaped area will serve as an example to the community of what can be done naturally to prevent erosion, while maintaining a beautiful shoreline.

Native Planting

Under the direction of several biology professors, about 45 species of plants native to this region were planted on the west side of Ivers Science Building. The native garden is primarily used by the biology department as a lab and research space for students. Classes can study the different plant species as well as observe the behaviors of the native bird and insect species that visit the space. Native plantings require no fertilizer, herbicides or pesticides, and little water to remain healthy. More so, they are very cost-effective and add lots of biodiversity to campus.

During the first year of implementation, the native plants required the most work in germinating the seeds, physically planting the seedlings, and weeding once they took root. After the first year, native plants are relatively low-maintenance. Due to their adaptability in unpredictable climates, natural grasses stay green and crowd out weeds even in dry-spells. The biology department hopes others will see the benefits of natural species and ask for plantings near their offices and classrooms.


For more information, contact:

Dr. Michelle Marko
Water and Landscaping Working Group Chair

Information For:

current students
faculty and staff		 parents
alumni		 high school students
admitted students