Consumers are selective with their purchasing power and carefully consider how their choices affect their individual lifestyles as well as the world around them. This starts with deciding on where they’ll live. Sustainable apartments are growing in popularity due to greater demand from renters and the benefits and incentives it provides builders. When there’s an option, many are deciding to go green.
Though every apartment community has its own amenities and best practices when creating eco-friendly apartments, it all begins with clean drinking water. With this in mind, you may be wondering, “Is apartment water safe to drink for residents across the board?”. Clean drinking water is a necessity for all, though not available universally across all rental spaces. Fortunately, FloWater leads the way in creating eco-friendly initiatives that’ll benefit apartment communities for years to come.
Going green is not a passing trend; it’s a way of life. To support this living green evolution, here are seven ways clean drinking water, through the use of a solution like the Touchless Water Dispenser, promotes sustainable living and inspires green ideas for apartments.
1. Transforms Original Water Source
FloWater transforms a community’s tap water into purified water that’s refreshing and available on-demand. Using the latest technology, water is passed through seven advanced stages of purification to remove up to 99% of all impurities typically found in water that comes from the tap. Using the utility already available allows apartment communities to improve upon a natural resource in a way that everyone can enjoy.
After tap water goes through FloWater’s initial purification filters, the water is then enhanced by adding back important elements to elevate the quality. An alkaline enhancement is performed, addings a proprietary blend of ten trace minerals to raise the pH level of the water. This helps neutralize acidity in the body and make it easier on the body’s internal organs.
Following this step, an electrolyte enhancement provides potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium to keep the body hydrated and energized. Electrolytes are valuable in supporting immune defense, bone strength, and cell repair and are often found in sports beverages or electrolyte-enhanced drinks. Making clean drinking water readily available promotes healthier living and is the starting point of developing sustainable apartments.
2. Reduces Community Plastic Waste
The transformation of tap water through the Touchless Water Dispenser also greatly reduces the amount of plastic waste a community experiences. By eliminating the need for single-use plastic bottles and encouraging reusable water bottles instead, it reduces the amount of trash buildup in various areas of the apartment building and supports a greener carbon footprint.
Community water stations are most commonly found in hallways, gyms, pool areas, and other gathering spots. FloWater replaces the need for water jug subscriptions, plastic water bottles, and/or paper cups which contribute to the amount of waste that builds up on a daily basis. The dispensing area fits nearly any container size, allowing tenants to fill up as needed and creating convenience for them when they need clean drinking water on the go.
Meanwhile, many major cities in the United States like San Francisco and Los Angeles are already following the eco-friendly trend of removing the sale of plastic water bottles from city facilities, including airports, which could eventually affect the availability of them at residential buildings as well. FloWater delivers a convenient, modern solution that is becoming the new standard when it comes to clean drinking water.
3. Encourages an Eco-Friendly Footprint
Part of sustainable living also includes being mindful of how products are designed and delivered. The energy-efficient design of the Touchless Water Dispenser uses LED lights, sleep mode, and an internal monitoring system to keep FloWater running at low operating costs. It also requires minimal maintenance with a quick wipe down of the front panels all that’s typically necessary to keep it clean.
Setup is performed by a certified technician located nearest to the desired service area. Attention to detail matters and every part of the design and process keeps sustainability best practices at the forefront to encourage an eco-friendly footprint with every use.
4. Creates Accessibility for All
Sustainable apartment buildings should be equipped for ease of use and accessibility when it comes to apartment amenities. The Touchless Water Dispenser meets ADA touch compliance and is an amenity everyone can benefit from. It provides all renters access to clean drinking water on-demand, which they can enjoy onsite and take with them for their commute, exercise, and other activities throughout the day.
Setup is performed by a certified technician located nearest to the desired service area. Attention to detail matters and every part of the design and process keeps sustainability best practices at the forefront to encourage an eco-friendly footprint with every use.
5. Implements Machine Automation
Innovation through machine automation means less need for maintenance to ensure the proper functioning of the Touchless Water Dispenser. The tanks automatically refill every time water is dispensed, so there’s always chilled, fresh FloWater available for the next person.
Additionally, activated oxygen is added as part of the FloWater purification process and automatically provides chemical-free sanitization for the internal system. These features maintain FloWater’s premium quality without having to schedule cleaning and regular maintenance.
6. Adapts to Growing Communities
Resident capacity can fluctuate throughout a given year or season. However, FloWater is available at all times, on-demand to service a high-capacity crowd, and returns to sleep mode when not in use. It essentially self-regulates how much purified water is needed based on the level of resident use, whereas single-use plastic water bottles and/or community water coolers have to be replaced regularly without too many predictive capabilities of how much needs will change from month to month. This can lead to wasted or unused costs and may not be the most efficient or effective approach to sustain growing communities.
7. Promotes Advanced Sanitization Measures
The Touchless Water Dispenser model is already equipped with a one-touch refill button to limit contact when dispensing water. However, a fully touchless experience is also available with the easy-to-use foot pedal. With the enhanced safety and sanitization measures apartments and other organizations are required to follow, having this feature is an added benefit to aligning with the sanitization measures people seek today. Today’s world is changing to contactless options as much as possible, and that now includes how people stay hydrated.
Additional Green Ideas for Apartments for Sustainable Living
Jumpstart sustainable living by delivering clean drinking water in an environmentally friendly way. It changes a nice-to-have amenity into a norm and inspires additional green ideas for apartments when creating communities. Sustainable apartment buildings typically factor in:
• Smart thermostats – Through smart technology, thermostats can regulate air-conditioning use built around individual schedules to save on energy when people aren’t home. With easy programming available through a smartphone app, scheduling can be done anytime, anywhere.
• Energy-efficient appliances – Energy Star appliances are becoming commonplace in sustainable apartments as they are comparable in quality to standard appliances but use less energy. This includes refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, and other typical appliances included in many apartments. The same concept applies to energy-efficient lighting with LED lights and the use of natural light to cut down on waste and leave behind a greener carbon footprint.
• Recycling and food compost stations – Eco-friendly apartments also typically have separate recycling bins or rooms as well as food compost stations. This also helps cut down on community waste and encourages residents to align with eco-friendly best practices. As apartment builders continue to get creative with their layouts, many are also including onsite gardens, water conservation strategies, and using materials that are sustainable for the environment.
• Walkable neighborhoods – Choosing the optimal location is paramount to popular apartment buildings, and sustainable living includes being able to walk to nearby shops, restaurants, and everyday services to cut down on gas emissions. Also, many sustainable apartment buildings are utilizing green features like solar panels and equipping their parking lots with EV hookups for electric vehicles. As well, they are offering bike rentals and storage to promote green transportation methods.
• Online community portals – Creating digital opportunities significantly reduces paper waste. Many modern apartment complexes are switching to online community portals where residents can log in and pay rent and utilities, submit and review work orders, read the community newsletter, and an array of other operational features to keep them informed about where they live in a user-friendly, convenient way.
Sustainable Solutions as the New Norm
Sustainability initiatives are top of mind, as everyone wants to do their part to reduce their carbon footprint and create a greener way of living. Several smaller steps can lead to big change, and the expansion of sustainable apartment buildings gives renters the resources they need to follow these best practices. Finding eco-friendly alternatives to everyday amenities is becoming easier to come by and the standard choice for living green.
Starting by providing easy access to safe and clean drinking water provides an essential value that benefits entire apartment communities. Drinking water fountains and plastic water jugs are no longer the desired solution. The Touchless Water Dispenser better speaks to the needs of people today. Having it available as an apartment amenity supports sustainable solutions as the new norm and gives people a greater incentive to sign or renew their lease.
Sustainable apartments make sense from a cost and energy efficiency perspective and align with the values of many of today’s renters trying to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. With so many options available, these eco-conscious initiatives and amenities are what will set certain apartment complexes apart from their competitors.
