AWWA SOURCES59266

This study examines the effectiveness of the Household Guide to Water Efficiency as a means of educating the public about water conservation and in turn effecting change in the public's behavior, which translates into water savings. A pilot program was conducted in several communities in Oakville, Ontario, Canada ranging in size from 250 to 500 households to evaluate the effectiveness of the "Household Guide to Water Efficiency" and different methods of delivery. The traditional methods used to deliver print material involve simply dropping off or mailing out the material, but there have been studies done to question the efficacy of these methods with regard to sustainability. Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) is a means of modifying behavior by identifying and overcoming barriers to behavior change. The greatest tool used in community-based social marketing stresses the community part. It is the act of getting out into the community and actually interacting with the residents. The findings of this detailed study are extremely useful to municipalities across the country to determine which water conservation programs would most suitably address their individual needs. By distributing the Household Guide to Water Efficiency through the different methods, municipalities may be able to defer expansions to water treatment systems or wastewater treatment facilities and significantly increase the environmental effectiveness of these municipal services. Includes table.