LAS VEGAS, February 01, 2023–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Plumbing Manufacturers International’s leadership and staff are leading a crusade for safe, clean water for future generations. Their latest stop is the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) 2023, where they are working this week to persuade policymakers and potential allies about the urgency of the association’s PMI’s Rethink Water initiative.

“All across the globe, we all need to rethink how we use water every day,” says Kerry Stackpole, PMI’s CEO and executive director. “Not only how do we use it, but how do we save as much as possible and make it safe for those who will need it in the future. Of all the facets of climate change, its impact on water may be the most profound. “

The enormousness of the challenge makes it somewhat intimidating to address. Where does one begin? Looking at it from the perspective of plumbing manufacturing, Stackpole said he believes you start with your strengths. “For more than 15 years, our industry has been making toilets, showerheads, faucets and other plumbing products that use water more efficiently than the older products most people still have in their homes. We simply need to install more of these WaterSense products, and the water savings will be substantial,” he explains.

That’s why PMI’s first Rethink Water project is legacy product replacement – replacing older, inefficient products with new, more-efficient WaterSense models. At KBIS, PMI hosted a Power Break and Briefing today to inform members, policymakers, other guests and media about the urgency of this project and the need to establish a robust public-private partnership to accomplish it.

EPA’s successful WaterSense program has proved its ability to save water

An Environmental Protection Agency program started in 2006, WaterSense has so far saved 6.4 trillion gallons of water, including 1.1 trillion in the last year counted alone, according to the program’s latest accomplishments report. To be certified to bear the WaterSense label, a plumbing product must use at least 20% less water than a product meeting federal standards established in 1994 by the Energy Policy Act (EPAct).

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American households use about 10 trillion gallons of water each year – which means last year, WaterSense products saved an amount equal to 11% of the total amount used by US households. That’s no easy achievement, but it’s nowhere near the potential of the WaterSense program. That’s because many households still don’t have WaterSense plumbing products installed.

A 2022 GMP Research study commissioned by PMI found that only 23% of California residences have toilets meeting WaterSense standards. More than half of these residences have WaterSense showerheads and faucets, but a strong minority does not, the study found. An earlier GMP study commissioned by PMI found that most states have WaterSense statistics similar to California’s.

PMI estimates that up to 326 billion gallons of water can be saved over 30 years in California by replacing the 26.1 million toilets not up to WaterSense standards with WaterSense toilets. By accelerating the replacement of these toilets, 65.3 billion gallons can be saved within five years, and 95.7 billion gallons within 10 years. Achieving similar savings in all 50 states can increase the gallons saved into the trillions.

But numerical estimates do not reflect the current situation. Because water-efficiency standards are currently set by states, PMI and its allies have started advocating state-by-state for robust legacy product replacement programs, starting with California and other western states having water supplies hit hard by the drought. PMI California government affairs consultant Jerry Desmond and PMI technical director Kyle Thompson have broached legacy product replacement with California water officials, with the hopes of building the idea into a bill this year.

Legacy product replacement isn’t a new idea

In California, toilet replacement or rebate programs have been implemented in Southern California, San Francisco, and other regions and municipalities.

San Antonio, Texas, had a decade-long program that delivered and replaced toilets free of charge until virtually no inefficient toilets were left to replace. Programs replacing toilets free of charge or via rebates have been implemented throughout the nation, primarily at the county or municipal level, in places including Dallas/Fort Worth, Maui, New York City, Seattle, and Tucson. Some of the programs have low income requirements.

Because these programs save water, PMI would like to see legacy product replacement scaled up into statewide programs through which the total savings would be immense. “Part of our challenge is to get policymakers and allies comfortable with audacious, bold solutions,” Stackpole stated. Compared to other water-related solutions on the drawing board, such as desalination and rainwater catchment, legacy product replacement on a larger scale is relatively modest, he explained. “Half-way solutions won’t solve the water crisis. We have to think bigger.”

PMI Board of Directors President Sal Gattone of LIXIL is working closely with Stackpole and the PMI board members on the legacy product replacement challenge. “During this time of climate change and uncertainty, we all need to acquire the role of a conservationist,” Gattone stated. “Modern life relies on the easy availability of water. This access assures our health and safety and our very survival. Hence, we need to collectively respond to water crises and actively work together on sustainable solutions.”

About Plumbing Manufacturers International

Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) is the trade association of plumbing product manufacturers that produce more than 90% of the United States’ plumbing products, represent more than 150 iconic brands, and develop safe, reliable and innovative water-efficient plumbing technologies. PMI members contribute more than 464,000 jobs and $85.5 billion in economic impact to America’s economy.

With a vision of safe, responsible plumbing – always, PMI advocates for plumbing product performance contributing to water efficiency and savings, sustainability, public health and safety, and consumer satisfaction through its Rethink Water initiative and other programs. PMI members manufacture water-efficient toilets, urinals, faucets, showerheads and other products at more than 70 locations across the country and market them online and in more than 24,000 home improvement stores, hardware stores and showrooms in all 50 states. For more information on PMI, contact the organization at 1750 Tysons Blvd., Ste. 1500, McLean, Va., 22102; phone: 847-481-5500; fax: 847-481-5501. safeplumbing.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230201005140/en/

Contacts

Ray Valek, ray@valekco.com, 708-352-8695

The post At KBIS, Plumbing Producers Worldwide Promotes Rethink Water Initiative – A Campaign for Protected, Clear Water for Future Generations appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Never need a reason, you never need a rhyme: Mary Poppins is out of date.

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According to an Oregon professor who wrote a statement in the New York Times claiming the 1964 film “Mary Poppins” promoted Blackface on the famous chimney sweep scene. The film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won four including Best Actress (Julie Andrews), Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Music.

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Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, who teaches English, gender and Shakespeare studies at Linfield College, wrote that nanny Mary Poppins, played by Andrews and, according to books by PL Travers, “turns black” when her face is covered in soot while crawling is on the chimney. Instead of wiping her face, Pollack-Pelzner suggests that Mary Poppins cover her face even more, according to the opinion piece.

The magical nanny then takes Jane and Michael Banks with Bert, played by Dick Van Dyke, on a dance excursion over the rooftops of London.

Pollack-Pelzner’s article appears when Mary Poppins Returns received four Oscar nominations last week. He calls the new film “a delightfully derivative film designed to stimulate our nostalgia for the innocent fantasies of childhood and the fun holidays that the first” Mary Poppins “film conjured up for many adult viewers.”

Pollack-Pelzner warns, however, that the new film is “tied into a blackface performance tradition” that continues throughout the “Mary Poppins” genre.

The professor, who graduated from Yale University with a degree in history in 2001 and earned a PhD in English from Harvard University nine years later, also notes that the blackface and racial commentary “minstrel story” is not limited to “Mary Poppins” . He says it’s “a mainstay” of Disney musicals, including the lively blackbird in the 1941 movie “Dumbo” and a 1933 Mickey Mouse short, “Mickey’s Mellerdrammer,” which parodies “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”.

“Disney has long evoked minstrels for its upside-down conversations,” writes Pollack-Pelzner. “A nanny goes black, chimney sweeps mock the upper class and grin at lamplights that turn work into singing.”

This essay by @victoria_and_ makes a big point that underpins white supremacy far more than Disney movies, and that expressing outrage at animated minstrels means missing the larger cultural forces that produce them. I appreciate your response to my article. https://t.co/uxve4qfvfa

– Dan Pollack-Pelzner (@pollackpelzner) February 4, 2019

Pollack-Pelzner’s contribution made several fans of the film on their knees:

To the people who say #MaryPoppins is #racist because of the chimney scene, you say to the thousands of children who were forced to sweep chimneys in the Victorian era that chimneys contain soot. Soot is black and when it hits you it’s hard to get off. The scene is NOT racist

– TheEmeraldTiger (@TheEmraldTiger) February 4, 2019

The post Chimney sweep scene in 1964’s ‘Mary Poppins’ promotes blackface – KIRO 7 Information Seattle appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.