This Blue Dot.
Volunteers with the non-profit organization One Change were promoting the group’s “This Blue Dot” campaign on Oct. 14 at the RBC branch at the intersection of Woodroffe Avenue and Strandherd Drive. Here, Rob Legere holds up the blue dye tablet which could save you money and water by detecting silent toilet leaks.
Geoff Davies
It was summer vacation and no one had been home for a month. So why, thought Cassandra Thompson, is my water bill rising?
The 27-year-old Barrhaven resident was perplexed and dreading the impending plumber’s bill when she was bailed out by a little blue dot.
That’s how One Change brought the wallet-watching new homeowner a world of relief.
The non-profit organization, in partnership with RBC, has been distributing free vegetable-based dye tablets to help people find costly toilet leaks, even the silent ones.
This Blue Dot is the name of the campaign that began in mid-September and is supposed to run until early November.
“People are receptive to the point of excitement,” said Rob Legere, a volunteer promoter in Barrhaven.
By the end of the campaign, volunteers will have knocked on roughly 25,000 doors and distributed about 40,000 tablets, he said. Their work stands to make a big difference.
About 20 per cent of toilets leak, according to One Change, and each can silently waste up to 550 litres every day.
In a year, that can drain as much as $250 from a homeowner’s pocketbook.
Sure enough, Thompson found a leak in her toilet, and fixed it by installing a new $5 flapper.
“I’m not a handy kind of girl but it was pretty easy to change and it’s been smooth sailing ever since,” Thompson said. Right away, she saw a significant drop in her water bill.
Excited to so easily save two precious resources at once, Thompson said she may even volunteer with One Change in a future campaign.
“It’s not often somebody will volunteer their time in order to make free improvements to your life.”
For more information, visit www.thisbluedot.ca.