The Water Conservation Program is a partnership between Mile High Youth Corps and Denver Water that grew out of MHYC’s energy conservation initiatives with the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO). For 2009, Denver Water has contracted with MHYC to install 3,000 High-Efficiency Toilets (HETs) in the homes of LEAP clients, in nonprofit facilities, in affordable housing complexes and in faith-based institutions-- free of charge.
Homes that have a high flush volume toilet(s) are referred to MHYC’s Water Conservation Program. An MHYC Crew Leader and Corpsmember then return to those homes to replace the high flush volume toilet(s) with a free High-Efficiency Toilet (HET) provided by Denver Water that uses one gallon per flush. Corpsmembers also educate clients on other steps they can take to conserve energy and water and save money on their utility bills.
A key component of this project is Corpsmember and client education. This project offers comprehensive environmental education and technical training for MHYC Corpsmembers. Youth gain the skills and experience they need to be successful in today’s workforce. In turn, Corpsmembers inform residents on the services and products being installed, as well as the potential water savings. They take the time to educate residents on how things work, what they can save, and what else they can do to save water within their home. It is important for clients to know that not only will they be saving money on their utility bills, but they will be conserving water and helping the environment.
In 2008, MHYC doubled the number of toilet installations from the previous year, installing 1,817 HETs and saving over 17.8 million gallons of water for low-income households and local organizations. Additional water was saved by the 3,398 aerators and 1,391 showerheads which the Energy crews installed. All measures included, MHYC conserved over 35 millions gallons of water in 2008, equal to approximately 55 Olympic-size swimming pools. In addition, MHYC prevented over 180,000 pounds of porcelain from entering landfills by recycling all of the old toilets.