Freshwater is an increasingly scarce resource. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, of the world's water supply, 97.5% is salt water and only 2.5% is freshwater. Of that freshwater, 70% is in the form of ice and snow cover in mountainous regions, 30% is underground, and .3% is in lakes, rivers, and streams. Less than 1% of the total percent of fresh usable water is available for people, animals, and plants.
Omega has taken great strides to be part of the solution to the growing freshwater crisis. To increase our water preservation, we updated our campus with low-flow fixtures in sinks and showers, as well as low-flow toilets. But our efforts didn't end there. We built the Eco Machine™ at the Omega Center for Sustainable Living to naturally reclaim all the water used on campus. Using zero chemicals and net zero energy, the Eco Machine™ cleans wastewater by mimicking nature's purification process. Thanks to the Eco Machine™ at the OCSL, all water on Omega's campus is used and purified in a closed hydrological loop. We draw water from deep wells that tap the aquifer beneath campus; use the water in sinks, toilets, and showers; naturally reclaim the used water with the Eco Machine™ at the OCSL; and release the purified water back to the aquifer, where the process can begin again.
The OCSL's Eco Machine™ demonstrates to visitors what they may never have imagined possible: water reclamation that is safe, natural, and sustainable. It inspires them to ask questions about their own water supply and wastewater treatment. Come take a tour of the Omega Center for Sustainable Living and the Eco Machine™, and inspire your own participation in water preservation and water reclamation in your community, and the wider community of the world.