5 Easy Steps to Conserve Water!

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Whether you believe in global warming or not I’m hoping we can all agree that water conservation is needed and just plain common sense.  You may never have thought about this fact but water is a very, very limited resource. While moisture does rejuvenate through the earth cycle, it does at an extremely slow rate.

Examples of water cycle rates:

  • Water in the atmosphere: around 9 days
  • Water that falls to the ground: surface water, a month or two / shallow ground water, 200-300 years / deep ground water, up to 10,000 years.
  • Snow & Glaciers: Snow, 2-6 months / Glaciers, 20-100 years.
  • Oceans: up to 3,000 years.
  • Ice Shelf (Antarctica): up to 900,000 years!

Note: These statistics were provided by an article in Science World.

Approximately 97% of fresh water that falls back to Earth’s surface ends up in the oceans where it turns into salt water and is undrinkable for humans and land animals.

2% is used by plants, absorbed by the ground or suspended in air. Only 1% is suitable for human and animal consumption with an estimated .03-.01% being stored in lake and river reservoirs for immediate consumption.

If one human lived to the age of 80 and consumed an average of 64 oz per day the Earth would need to generate approximately 15,000 gallons of clean, fresh water…(this figure doesn’t include the water each individual uses for bathing, toilets, laundry, industrial uses to make products, etc.) and that’s just for one person! AND there are approximately 7.5 billion of us on this planet presently!

I’ve compiled a list of 5 free and easy ways to help conserve water around your house that can be done effortlessly on a daily basis.

These are so simple you can start implementing today!

 

1:) Use a reusable water bottle or a drinking glass out of your cabinets!

Stop buying those plastic disposable bottles for everyday use and invest in a metal water bottle.  Use a glass out of your kitchen cabinet or if you must use plastic make sure it’s reusable and recyclable. Just doing this greatly reduces waste in the landfills and protects the oceans from all that indestructible trash. If you must use a disposable plastic water bottle please place it in a recycle bin instead of the trash.

2:) Avoid using a sprinkler system on your lawn!

In ground lawn watering systems are a big resource suck, notorious for leaking, and in my opinion are just plain lazy. Remember you’re watering your lawn with drinking water…not rain or waste water. It’s meant for humans to drink, not your grass. Plus all the added chemicals like chlorine, chloramine, fluoride, magnesium, calcium are not necessary or beneficial for plants and the water table.

Try landscaping with native plants from your area. Great places to get ideas for landscaping are your local parks, botanical gardens, nurseries, teaching gardens, and zoos. A great natural landscaping example in my area is The Gathering Place. They used native grasses, native milk weed, native trees, etc.

Install rain barrels on your gutter down spouts; they add character and interest to your home. Better yet get rid of your gutters all together and let your land use the free water instead of the streets and sewers.

Note: Did you know that over watering kills more plants than under watering?

3:) Use your dishwasher instead of running faucet water to clean dishes!

Modern dishwashers have become so energy and water efficient. If buying a new one look for the energy star rating. If you must hand wash your big pots and pans, fill one pot with soapy water and wash the other dishes in that pot. Washing dishes with constantly running water is a huge waste of water. Remember to only run the dishwasher only when it’s full 🙂

4:) Forgo using the garbage disposal all the time!

Not only is this a gigantic waste of water it’s also adds more crap to the sewage system. Think about setting up a compost bin on your property. We made one out of recycled wood pallets; free and easy to set up. Another tip to bypass using the disposal is don’t buy so much at the grocery store, just purchase what you will eat for a couple of days…not the whole week…and eat leftovers 🙂

Backyard Composters

5:) Cooking water used to cook veggies, pasta, etc. are an excellent source of nutrients for you plants!

You could also re-use it as a stock for rice or soup. Pouring it down the drain just fertilizes the sewer below and not the greens above.

Not only do these suggestions help in conserving water and cut down on pollution they also help ease the pain of your monthly water bill. Plus you might get a little healthier in the mean time. Win, Win, Win!!

Just like the graphic at the top implies; the answers are in our hands.

Sometimes I can be the biggest offender in recycling and being environmentally friendly. I excuse myself with the alibis “I just don’t have enough time” or “I just didn’t realize” phrases.  There are sooooo many small, easy ways to conserve our Earth’s precious resources. Please share your tips and tricks; I’d love to hear some new and inventive ideas y’all have!

Send me a quick comment?

Always striving to be better?

Elise

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