Living Green Tip ~ Be Water Wise June 7, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Nature, Sustainable Living.trackback
At the The Tampa Living Green Expo, we picked up some new green tricks and reinforced some old ones. To keep our planet wet and wild, turn off the tap inside and out:
* Stop, Look, and Listen for leaks in your toilets and sinks
* Slow the flow with low flow aerators for your sinks and shower heads
* Set up a rain barrel to collect rain to redistribute later in the week to gardens, fish ponds, and fountains
* Apply 2-3 inches of water saving and weed inhibiting mulch to landscaped areas
* Drip it, don’t drop it ~ use micro-irrigation in your landscaped areas
* Use a broom to sweep walkways, rather than using the hose
* Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and washing your hands
* Take shorter showers, and 1/2 filled baths
* Plan ahead ~ defrost food overnight in the refrigerator, not in the sink
* Install low flow toilets and flush less often ~ if it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down
* Estimate Water Use using the Water Use Calculator, then pledge to save 10 %
* Fill her up ~ operate washing machines and dish washer with full loads
* Reduce the size of your lawn with native, drought-tolerant plants
* Don’t mow too low ~ closely cropped grass requires more water
* Take an EZ Audit to check your irrigation system
* Don’t over water your lawn ~ use a rain gauge to determine how much rain your yard has received
* Turn off your automatic sprinklers after a heavy rain
* Direct sprinklers into the garden and away from the street and driveway
* Water your lawn only when it needs water ~ 1/2″ – 3/4″ per application
* Calculate Water Conservation Savings for different conservation measures
Use water resources wisely and efficiently ~ visit Water Matters or call your county extension office to get more information on conserving H2O.
Related post: Extreme Conservation (EE) * What The World Really Needs * Go Solar! * Green America * Gradual Change * Create a Backyard Habitat
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Spirit Lights The Way 
Who has time for long showers or baths, anyway…?
With five kids always at my heals, I developed a Calgon Bubble Bath fantasy, but never really indulged much until they were older… and even now, the “Navy shower” habit is so engrained in me, I can’t bring myself to take long showers and baths as an escape route… but I can still soak in my fantasies 😀
In the winter, when my core temperature had dropped, I would take a hot bath to get it back in survival mode.
Other than that, I prefer showers ~ but mine are (sometimes) longer than necessary. : (
My bad.
The really hard thing about conservation is finding it in yourself to believe that one person can make a difference. I’m still not sure that one person can. But one person plus another person, plus 2 more, plus their families, plus their friends, plus the families of their friends, plus the friends of their families… well, you get the picture.
I agree with you.
But check out the Water Use Calculator . . . it’s a real eye opener:
http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/thepowerof10/
Can I print this for my daughter to use in a school show & tell project Nancy?
Absolutely!
If she can use a computer, the water calculator is so cool to play around with ~ the link is just above the dishwasher
# people
low flow or no?
times/length used
= water usage