If you have a few free minutes this afternoon or this weekend, you might consider taking the Ill. Environmental Protection Agency's online quiz on particulate matter and air pollution. The quiz is part of IEPA's Particulate Matters to Me campaign. You must be a resident of Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, or Will County to participate. All submissions must be received by April 30, when three winners will be selected to win an Energy Star appliance or product valued up to $600.
Speaking of Energy Star, Illinois residents will have multiple opportunities in the coming months to get rebates or other incentives for purchases on energy-efficient appliances, including large items like water heaters. A recent Chicago Sun-Times article stated that "consumers have gotten more than $500,000 in rebates in the first three weeks of a State of Illinois appliance-rebate program." This is great news. Incentives for energy-efficiency put the market to work and encourage people to make more informed decisions about how they consume natural resources.
This, however, begs the question: Where is WaterSense in all of this? Like Energy Star, WaterSense is an efficiency certification program from the federal government, but unlike its energy-focused counterpart, there are currently no incentives for water-efficient purchases of any kind anywhere in Illinois. None.
Adding WaterSense products to Energy Star incentive programs (several of which are currently being discussed in Springfield and Washington, D.C.) would be easy to do, and have immediate demonstrable benefits. Moreover, as the name suggests, it would save water (and energy). Doesn't that just make sense?