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Kohler has just launched a new water efficiency and sustainability effort called, “Save Water America.” The water conservation education promotion donates $1 worth of water-efficient products to Habitat for Humanity for every person who takes the short water quiz on their site. Their goal is to donate $1 million in water efficient products that will outfit about 600 Habitat for Humanity homes. This caught my attention because of our work in water conservation, and, you guessed it, Habitat for Humanity.

Kohler’s ultimate goal here is to sell water-efficient toilets.  Here are the six things they’re doing for their environmental promotion that’re really smart.

1. Kohler is selling by educating: The quiz highlights the fact that nearly 50% of all toilets in America (about 100 million) are old school and waste at least two gallons of water with EVERY flush.
2. They found a fun way to talk about your toilet: How else do you engage customers about retrofitting their toilets than to literally have toilets rain down on you during the quiz. It’s kind of cool. Plus, they direct you to toilet rebate programs in your state where you can turn in your old toilet for a new, water-efficient one through your town or city.
3. They make water conservation interesting: Saving water isn’t always the most romantic subject. Kohler does a nice job here of engaging the visitor about the importance of water conservation throughout the home.
4. A tangible and relevant approach to cause marketing: Teaming with Habitat for Humanity is a natural extension of the promotion. Kohler started with $500,000 in seed money, and have had about 4,500 hits to their quiz.
5. Demonstrating industry leadership: Kohler products are inherently about water use, and now more than ever, water efficiency. By helping us all be greener (or bluer) through product demonstration, education, and cause marketing, Kohler is doing what an industry leader should: Providing the technology and education to make us all more environmentally sensitive consumers.
6. Singular focus on toilets: Too often marketers try to accomplish too much with any one promotion.  Kohler could’ve also promoted low flow shower heads and faucet aerators as other important ways to save water in your bathroom, but that would’ve diluted their message. It’s all about toilets.

Please take the water conservation quiz. It takes about 30 seconds. You’ll help Habitat for Humanity in a small way, and you will learn how you can reduce your water use in a big way.

Water Facts from Kohler

• By 2013, 36 states anticpate water shortages
• More than 25% of your daily water use is flushed down the toilet
• 1.6 billions of water a day are wasted through flushing old toilets
• Equivalent of 25 billion glasses of drinking water can be saved, enough to fill 2,400 Olympic size swimming pools every day

Please retweet the quiz: Take the Kohler water conservation quiz and earn Habitat for Humanity $1 in water-efficient products: http://tinyurl.com/c4zd8t