GREEN IDEAS FOR AQUATICS

Although it sounds trendy, take a look around; everything is going green.  From buildings to displays, and even aquatics, people are taking an increased look at how their actions are affecting the environment, and as it turns out, being “green” may be a new trend here to stay.

What is Green Building?

According to Wikipedia, green building is “the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources — energy, water, and materials — while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal — the complete building life cycle.” 

Since 2000, the United States Green Building Council’s membership has increased ten-fold, and by 2009, 80% of corporate America is expected to be engaged in green at least 16% of the time, and 20% at least 60% of the time.¹  

But when all you’ve got is a concrete hole in the ground with water in it, can you really be “green”?

Tips for Greening Your Aquatic Facility

There are many areas of a pool or aquatic facility that can be updated or designed to have a low impact on the environment.  Here are some tips to help you evaluate your facility and make a green change.

Reduce your energy consumption.  Design your facility or update it with VFD pumps, larger piping, overhead lighting, and limit spray and slide usage.

Reduce your water use.  Use larger filters, more media layers, easier backwashing, and take a look at possibly installing a pool cover to reduce evaporation.

Decrease your pool maintenance.  Avoid constantly repainting your pool by using tile or a white cementitious coating, which will stay white much longer than paint.

Avoid special coatings.  Use a basic concrete deck finish or tile and avoid other coatings that need to be reapplied as they wear away.

Use natural light for day lighting.  In your indoor facility or bathhouse, try to take advantage of natural light when lighting your facility to reduce the amount of artificial light needed.

Consider using recycled concrete under the pool deck.  Replacing gravel as fill under your pool deck with recycled concrete may or may not be less expensive, but it utilizes a material that would otherwise be sitting in a landfill.

Evaluate a salt system for disinfection.  Although a salt system still uses chlorine as the disinfecting agent, a salt system is more natural and reduces the need for the chlorine chemicals at your facility.

Take a look at the concessions.  Many pools have an incredible amount of waste from the concessions.  By evaluating the alternative products available, such as recyclable containers, you may be able to green the concessions along with the rest of your pool.

Recycle around your facility.  Place recycling bins around your facility and encourage your patrons to use them.

Choose your equipment wisely.  There are a lot of equipment options in your facility, for example, hand dryers instead of paper towels, and each of these will affect both your bottom line and your energy footprint.  Evaluate the options and choose the best option for your facility.

¹ McGraw Hill Construction, Greening of Corporate America SmartMarket Report, 2007  

This article was brought to you by Water's Edge Aquatic Design.  Please contact Heather Jensen, hjensen@wedesignpools.com, if you have any questions related to the content of this article.