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Entry bubble Go Green: Tips for Conserving Water

By: Sam | January 09, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

While many of you were dreaming of a white Christmas, I think most folks in the Southeast were hoping for a rainy one.  With many states facing one of the most severe droughts in history, any amount of precipitation would be a welcome change to the sunny, blue skies.

Since the drought affects many of my loved ones, I have stayed up-to-date on the conditions thanks to USA.gov.  I can check the local drought forecasts, get weekly drought monitor maps, and calculate how much precipitation it would take to end the current drought conditions in the next three months.  For much of the Southeast and parts of California, it would take 18 to 21 inches of rain! 

At drought.gov, I can get recent news related to the drought as well as impact reports from media, observers, and other sources.  These reports are searchable by state and county, category of impact (environment, agriculture, social, etc.), and time period.  They are also a real eye-opening read on how the drought is affecting individuals and communities from job loss to wildfires to sparse crop growth. 

One positive that has resulted from the drought is the need to be more conscious about conserving water.  While I was home for the holidays, my Mom had to gently remind me to take shorter showers and to turn the water off while brushing my teeth.  To help encourage folks, the state of Georgia has put together a great website, ConserveWaterGerogia.net, which is full of useful tips on conserving water at home, school, and work.

Here’s a few to help get you started:

  • Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes.
  • Fix leaking faucets and toilets.
  • Turn off lights when you’re not in the room since energy is produced using large volumes of water.
  • Don’t overwater your lawn.  Lawns only need to be watered every 10 to 14 days in the winter.
  • Avoid over fertilizing your lawn.

You can also find creative ideas for saving water such as collecting rainwater with rain barrels and test your WaterSense with the EPA’s new interactive online quiz.  And for more helpful advice and resources checkout thedailygreen.com.

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: conservation   drought   green   usa.gov   water  

Comments (3):

blue comment bubble Posted by Aquabarrel on January 09, 2008 at 06:10 PM EST

Great rain barrel products may be found at www.aquabarrel.com

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blue comment bubble Posted by dcrider on January 14, 2008 at 06:25 PM EST

Add a timer to your sprinkler is a quick way to save water.

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blue comment bubble Posted by sociolibrarian on January 17, 2008 at 08:08 PM EST

I save the water from my dehumifier (I put the humidifier drain hose into a gallon milk jug in the utility sink) and use it to water house plants and trees when needed. I collect enough during the humid summer to last all through the dry winter.

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