This brick could save Californians 67 million gallons of water a day

The Drop-A-Brick project wants Californians to place a rubber brick into their toilets to save water and money at home.

California is facing one the worst water droughts in history, and with many towns facing problems with water resources the importance of being thrifty is becoming very clear. We’ve already written about Everydrop LA, the app that enables citizens to report instances of water leakage in the city. Now another project is encouraging Californians to Drop-A-Brick into their toilets to save water and money at home.

It’s a common piece of advice that has been passed down through the ages — put a brick in your cistern to save water. Currently seeking funding through Indiegogo, the project is simply getting people to do just that. The nonprofit has created a rubber alternative to the standard brick, which can often end up damaging toilets. The Drop-A-Brick on the other hand is soft, using a hydro-gel that react with water to give it the weight to sink rather than float. Because it’s flexible, it can fit into any space in the cistern, unlike actual bricks. When in place, the nonprofit says it saves about half a gallon of water with each flush. If every citizen of Calfornia installed the Drop-A-Brick in their bathroom, they could help save up to 67 million gallons of water every day.

Watch the tongue-in-cheek video below, which acts as a promo for the campaign:

Backers can support Drop-A-Brick’s Indiegogo campaign until 31 October, where they can purchase their own bricks or donate them to households in need from as low as USD 15. As well as helping the environment and maintaining water resources for more important things such as drinking and plant water, homeowners could also cut their water bills using the low-tech device. Are there other ways to rethink time-tested, low tech methods to ensure they’re effective for everybody?

Indiegogo: www.igg.me/at/dropabrick