FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Saving 2 Billion Gallons of Water, One Community at a Time

Newport News Waterworks Partners with Responsible Bathroom Tour in Yorktown

Newport News Waterworks announces that a national mobile marketing campaign will arrive in York County on Tuesday, November 23.

Who: The public is invited.
What: The Responsible Bathroom Water Conservation Tour.
Where: Southern Plumbing & Heating Supply, 1947 Geo. Washington Memorial Hwy., Yorktown
When: 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 23.

Local water conservation is the most direct way to reduce water bills and cut energy costs while also managing a precious resource. To help raise awareness about water conservation and to offer practical solutions through water-saving bathroom fixtures, Newport News Waterworks announces that a national mobile marketing campaign will arrive in York County on Tuesday, November 23.

Water shortages are forecast to hit 36 states in the U.S., by 2013. Many communities already are experiencing a tighter water supply. The Responsible Bathroom Water Conservation Tour, sponsored by American Standard®, will show how an average four-person household can save 48,326 gallons of water a year using water-saving bathroom fixtures.

As of October, the Tour has reached and surpassed its goal of saving 2 billion gallons of water this year by replacing old or leaking bathroom fixtures with innovative, water-efficient plumbing products. The total is now at 2.2 billion gallons saved and still growing. The tour, under way from April through November, has so far visited almost 300 plumbing wholesale locations in 43 states in its 44-foot, walk-through mobile showroom. The public is welcome free of charge to walk through the mobile showroom.

Visitors to The Responsible Bathroom Water Conservation Tour will gain:

• Financial calculations of how much water and money consumers can save with efficient bathroom products. Retrofitting faucets, showerheads and toilets with low-flow options is one of the fastest and easiest ways for consumers and businesses to save significant amounts of water.

• Water-saving tips that benefit the environment. The Responsible Bathroom Tour is the latest in a series of initiatives by American Standard Brands to raise awareness of practical water conservation solutions through product innovations and increased consumer choice. In February, American Standard Brands announced a $1 million, two-year partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest conservation organization, in support of its mission in the area of global freshwater conservation.

• Hands-on demonstrations of the newest water-saving showerheads, faucets, and toilets. Tour ambassadors aboard the mobile showroom will explain the latest products. User demonstrations will include a FloWise® showerhead, for instance, which uses up to 40% less water during a shower while its exclusive turbine technology delivers a robust spray.

Representatives from Newport News Waterworks will also be available at the event for the local water conservation perspective. “The Peninsula is doing a great job conserving water. We have seen a decline in demand over the past several years – from industrial to residential customers,” says Nancy McPhail, Water Resources Planner for Waterworks. “Through our own outreach programs, like the Hampton Roads Water Efficiency Team and our rain barrel workshops, we have built a strong water efficiency ethic on the Peninsula. It is a pleasure to welcome the Responsible Bathroom Tour to our area to help encourage that ethic.”

“At American Standard, our goal is to educate consumers that conservation can and does begin at home. By developing water-efficient, low-consumption toilets, faucets and showerheads that actually
work, we are providing consumers with real choice in creating responsible bathrooms without sacrifice in style or performance,” says Don Devine, American Standard president and chief executive officer.

The impact of water conservation measures adds up. Imagine the impact if every consumer:

• Replaced an old faucet with a water-efficient model to save 8,000 gallons of water per year.
• Turned off the water while brushing teeth to conserve 24,000 gallons of water per year.
• Upgraded to a water saving showerhead to save 22,000 gallons of water per year.

Since bathrooms account for 75% of indoor water use, it is crucial to install water-saving plumbing fixtures in homes, schools and businesses. The American Standard objective is to reduce overall water consumption by more than 18 billion gallons through the installation of water-efficient American Standard toilets, showers and faucets. The Responsible Bathroom Tour has added over 2 billion to the gallons saved in 2010.

By crisscrossing the United States with this novel tour, American Standard® is bringing water conservation information to the local level. To view the entire national tour itinerary, go to www.theresponsiblebathroomtour.com. Many states and specific communities have begun their own initiatives and offer rebates on water efficient products. For details, visit www.responsiblebathroom.com and click on “Connection” and then “Water Saving Rebates.”

ABOUT AMERICAN STANDARD BRANDS
American Standard Brands is a leading North American manufacturer of a wide range of high-quality kitchen and bath products, including faucets, fixtures, furniture, vitreous china fixtures, cast iron sinks, whirlpool tubs and other related products. The company currently serves both the residential and commercial markets, and employs more than 5,000 people in the United States, Canada and Mexico; and markets products under the American Standard®, JADO®, Porcher®, Safety Tubs®, Crane®, Eljer® and Fiat® brands. American Standard Brands is an affiliated portfolio company of Sun Capital Partners. For more information, see www.americanstandard-us.com.

###