50 Ways to Save Water - Virginia Sole
Transcription
50 Ways to Save Water - Virginia Sole
50 WAYS TO CONSERVE WATER Unlike energy, water is a tangible resource; we can control its usage relatively easily. This is a good thing, given that climate change, population growth, and other factors are forcing our rivers to run dry and our lakes and water-table levels to drop. When it comes to making a difference, the seemingly small steps that we take toward reducing our individual “water footprints” (collecting rainwater for plants, taking less-indulgent showers, even observing Meatless Mondays) become ever more important drops in what is ultimately a single global bucket. BY V I R G I N I A S OL E - S M I T H 112 / WHOLELIVING.COM CLEANING 1. DON’T USE YOUR DRAIN AS A TRASH CHUTE Toxic materials THE AVERAGE AMERICAN HOUSEHOLD USES 350 GALLONS OF WATER A DAY like paint, oil, harsh cleansers, and medications can eventually make their way into bodies of water. Contact your local sanitation, public works, or environmental health department to find out about hazardous-waste collection days and sites. 2. TWEAK YOUR DISHWASHER SETTINGS If you have the option, use your machine’s eco water-saving mode. (While you’re at it, turn off the dryer setting to save energy.) 3. SKIP THE PRE-RINSE Simply scrape and let your dishwasher do the actual cleaning. 4. SUPER SAVER RUN FEWER, FULLER LOADS This goes for both the dishwasher and the washing machine. 5. SUPER SAVER CHOOSE EFFICIENT APPLIANCES An Energy Star washing machine can save up to 18 gallons per load. 6. REUSE YOUR LINENS Rather than grabbing a fresh towel every day, use the same one for a week. You can also extend the life span of your sheets by swapping out the pillowcases more often than the rest of the set. (They get the most germy anyhow.) 10. PICK UP DOG POOP Harmful bacteria from poop can wash into storm drains and pollute water supplies, leaving us less of the clean stuff to use. 7 CHOOSE A WATER- CONSC IOUS CAR WASH Hosing down a vehicle in your driveway can use 60 gallons of water or more in just five minutes. Professional car washes that have been certified by the WaterSavers program use 40 gallons or less per car and return clean water to the environment. Find a location near you at washwithwatersavers.com. 8. BUY CONCENTRATED CLEANING PRODUCTS Along with containing less water, these require less packaging and less energy to produce, says Paul McRandle of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). 9. DE-CLOG NATURALLY Conventional drain cleaners contain toxic chemicals, such as sodium hydroxide. Pour equal parts baking soda, white vinegar, and boiling water down the drain. Let sit for half an hour, before rinsing. 11. SUPPORT FORWARDTHINKING COMPANIES Ford has committed to reducing 30 percent of its water usage per vehicle by 2015. The company also says that between 2000 and 2010 it reduced its total global water use by 62 percent (more than 10 billion gallons). This fall, Method will bottle its green cleaning products in containers made out of plastic collected from the ocean. An Oakland, California–based company called Fogbusters has developed a way to separate fat, oil, and grease from wastewater without using chemicals. Its clients already include such big names as Cargill and Cadbury. WHOLELIVING.COM / 113 —ALEX PRUD’HOMME, THE RIPPLE EFFECT 15 Check out your water system’s Consumer Confidence Report, which will detail contaminants and violations of waterquality standards. (You can find it at epa.gov.) Private wells aren’t regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, so if you’ve got one of those, you’ll want to test it annually. 16. KEEP A PITCHER OF WATER IN THE FRIDGE If your tap water is drinkable, this is a less wasteful way to get a cold drink than letting your faucet run until the temperature is to your liking. 17. SAVE PASTA WATER Place your colander over a bowl in the sink when draining to save the starchy water. You can use it in the sauce or as a base for soup. 18. REUSE DISHWARE To cut down on the number of items to wash, use the same water glass all day. CHOOSE THE RIGHT FILTER If your water report or lab test indicates any unsafe levels of minerals, pesticides, heavy metals, parasites, volatile organic compounds, or bacteria, install a filter. Find models that meet health and safety standards at nsf.org/certified/dwtu. 114 / WHOLELIVING.COM 19. DON’T DUMP KETTLE WATER Only want one cup of tea? Then heat exactly that amount of water. 20. SKIP THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL That food sludge gets extracted at wastewater treatment plants and eventually winds up in a landfill. Plus, you’ll save on water and electricity. 21. PREP PRODUCE MORE EFFICIENTLY Instead of cleaning your fruits and vegetables by rinsing them under a constantly running tap, swish them around in a bowl of water. You can then reuse that water for houseplants. GARDEN 22. ADJUST YOUR LAWN MOWER A taller lawn will shade plant roots and, as a result, hold soil moisture better than grass that’s been closely clipped. Keep your blades at least three inches tall in the growing season, and cut them shorter in the fall to promote fresh growth. 23. SUPER SAVER HARVEST THE RAIN Put a rain barrel below your gutter downspout and you’ll capture a little more than half a gallon of water for every square foot of roof during a one-inch rainfall—that means a 90-square-foot roof would completely fill a 55-gallon barrel! You can use that bounty to water your garden. 24. SUPER SAVER CHOOSE NATIVE PLANTS Water used on lawns and gardens accounts for up to 40 percent of total household use. Select species that are indigenous to your area, and they’ll have a much better chance of thriving with what Mother Nature provides. previous page: photograph by Fraser McAlister/Getty Images. this page: photograph by Martyn Thompson/trunkarchive.com. opposite: photograph by Matthew Septimus “RESEARCH- KITCHEN ERS HAVE 12. FIX YOUR FAUCET NOTICED A Attaching an aerator to RISE IN THE your existing faucet can you up to 500 galINCIDENCE save lons a year. We particuOF CERTAIN larly like the Neoperl DISEASES, 1.5 GPM Household AerESPECIALLY ator Replacement Kit, BREAST AND which comes with four aerators PROSTATE replacement and a durable wrench CANCERS, for installation. $11, home SINCE THE depot.com for stores 1970s, AND 13. SUPER SAVER DOCTORS BOYCOTT BOTTLED SURMISE WATER It’s not just about THAT CON- all that plastic that ends in landfills. “Three TAMINATED up liters of regular water go DRINKING into making just one liter WATER of bottled water,” says COULD BE the NRDC’s McRandle. ONE EXPLA- 14. DRINK TAP WATER NATION.” (BUT TEST IT FIRST) 25 START SCHEDULING YOUR SPRINKLER No matter where you live, you should never water midday; you’ll lose too much to evaporation. If you live in a very hot and dry climate, water in the evening. If your home is in a moist area, do it in the morning to avoid mildew problems. WHOLELIVING.COM / 115 26 USE ORGANIC FERTILIZER Natural options (compost, bonemeal, peat) add nutrients and promote healthy growth without exposing your plants to the toxic chemicals found in conventional fertilizers, which can seep into the ground and contaminate water supplies. BOG OR WOODLAND PERENNIALS CONVENTIONAL TURFGRASS TROPICAL PLANTS WILLOWS WATER-HOGGING PLANTS WATER-SAVING PLANTS HERBS NATIVE GRASSES SUCCULENTS WOODY EVERGREENS Yes, they’re beautiful, but annuals (such as petunias and impatiens) typically require more water than most perennials. 28. SUPER SAVER RETHINK YOUR LAWN If you live in a dry climate, you’ll need a lot of sprinkler activity to maintain a huge grassy swath. Consider replacing it with gravel, which also reduces runoff. 29. MULCH Keep a two- inch layer over your flower bed to help your soil retain moisture. 30. MONITOR THE WEATHER ... Keep track of how much H2O your plants are getting with a rain gauge (from $25, gardeners.com), so that you don’t do double duty with the hose. 31. ... AND THE SOIL Insert a trowel into your lawn. If there’s moisture two inches below the surface, it doesn’t need water. 32. SWEEP UP Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your porch, driveway, or sidewalk. BATHROOM 33. CHECK FOR LEAKS Put a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank and check the bowl after 15 minutes; if the color has seeped in— without flushing—you have a leak. Fixing it can 116 / WHOLELIVING.COM save up to 1,000 gallons (about 200 flushes) a month. Often, what’s needed is a new flapper, or “valve seal,” which you can find in just about any hardware store. 34. TURN OFF THE TAP You’re probably already careful about this when brushing your teeth, but what about while rubbing soap on your hands or scrubbing a dish? If you want to score some major points, start taking Navy-style showers: Wet your face and body, shut off the water as you shampoo and lather up, and then finish it all off with a quick rinse. 35. SWAP SHOWERHEADS If the one you currently have fills a onegallon bucket in less than 20 seconds or drips (wasting up to 90 gallons daily), consider an upgrade. An EPA WaterSense–labeled model could save more than 2,300 gallons annually and conserve enough electricity to power your television for a year. 36. TWEAK YOUR TANK Go a little MacGyver on your toilet. Place a plastic beverage bottle filled with sand (or some stones) to help weigh it down inside your tank. It will displace some of the water, so you’ll use less per flush. NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION WILL EXPERIENCE WATER SHORTAGES BY 2025. 37. SUPER SAVER FIX YOUR TOILET... If you have one that is constantly running, you could be wasting up to a whopping 200 gallons (or 40 flushes) every day. 38. ...OR GET A NEW ONE When shopping, consider only models that have been given the WaterSense label. It certifies that the toilet uses 20 percent less water. 39. SUPER SAVER IF IT’S YELLOW, LET IT MELLOW By making it a new rule not to flush every time, a family of four could save 9 to 11 flushes—that’s 45 to 55 gallons a day! 40 KEEP A BUCKET IN THE SHOWER Collect that notquite-warm-enough initial stream and use it later to fill your humidifier. (Just take the bucket out of the tub before you start sudsing up.) opposite: photograph by Tosca Radigonda 27. DON’T GO NUTS WITH THE FLOWERS 41 TAKE SHORTER SHOWERS Shaving just one minute off your typical time will save 2.5 gallons of water. Need help? Try the Water Pebble ($10, uncommongoods.com). Placed in your drain, it records your first shower as a benchmark and then takes a few seconds off each subsequent shower, by flashing green, yellow, and red lights to help you pace yourself. WHOLELIVING.COM / 117 SHOPPING 42. READ LABELS Try 44 43. CALCULATE YOUR WATER FOOTPRINT Find out how much water you really use— both directly and indirectly—with the Water Footprint Calculator (h2oconserve.org), or download the Waterprint iPhone app (free, itunes .com). Then let your results motivate you to act. GO MEATLESS MORE OFTEN “Food accounts for at least half of your water footprint,” says Kai Olson-Sawyer, a research and policy analyst at Grace Communications Foundation. “Eating less meat is the key to reducing it, because of all the water needed to raise the livestock.” Start by skipping red meat—it takes 1,857 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef. (Pork, chicken, and lamb require much less.) GO TRUE BLUE IN THE GROCERY AISLES Ratings reflect the gallons of water used to produce a pound of food or a glass of liquid, unless otherwise indicated. Source: waterprint.net LOWEST WATER FOOTPRINT NOT TOO SHABBY WORST OFFENDERS TEA: 9 BEER: 20 SOY MILK: 49 LETTUCE: 15 WINE: 26 COW’S MILK: 53 TOMATOES: 22 COFFEE: 30 FRESH CHEESE: 371 CUCUMBERS: 28 EGGS: 44 (EACH) CHICKEN: 469 POTATOES: 31 YOGURT: 138 FIGS: 379 STRAWBERRIES: 33 PEACHES: 142 OLIVES: 522 BEANS: 43 AVOCADOS: 154 GRAPES: 78 BARLEY: 156 PROCESSED CHEESE: 589 APPLES: 84 TOFU: 244 BANANAS: 103 RICE: 340 118 / WHOLELIVING.COM BEEF: 1,857 BUTTER: 2,044 45. SKIP DISPOSABLE PLASTIC Bags, cups, forks, and so on can make their way to the sea, contaminating ecosystems and harming marine life. 46. REDUCE JUNK MAIL About 28 billion gallons of water are used to produce all of that unwanted paper. Sign up with dmachoice.org to take your address off direct-marketing lists. 47. BUY NEW CLOTHES LESS OFTEN Either purchase your duds secondhand or choose more durable items. 48. HANG ON TO YOUR JEANS One of the big- gest wardrobe waterhogs; each pair requires 2,900 gallons of water to produce. When possible, have yours mended by a local tailor or send them to denimtherapy.com. sources for statistics come from the U.S. EPA, UN-water, UNICEF; photograph by Johnny Miller. opposite: photograph by Katherine Wolkoff/trunkarchive.com 884 MILLION PEOPLE LACK ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER (NEARLY THREE TIMES THE U.S. POPULATION) to avoid personal care items that contain sodium laureth sulfate. “These become contaminated with trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane, a carcinogen that is also a groundwater contaminant,” says Stacy Malkan, a spokesperson for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. 49. CHECK THE TAGS “If a garment has a ‘Cotton Made in Africa’ label, the crops that went into producing it were grown using rainwater rather than irrigated water,” says the NRDC ’s McRandle. A Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification is also a plus; it means the wastewater was treated in a plant after processing. “GIVEN THAT WATER IS BOTH THE MOST FAMILIAR SUBSTANCE IN OUR LIVES AND THE MOST IMPORTANT SUBSTANCE IN OUR LIVES, THE REALLY ASTONISHING THING IS THAT MOST OF US DON’T THINK OF OURSELVES AS HAVING A RELATIONSHIP TO WATER.” —CHARLES FISHMAN, THE BIG THIRST 50 TAKE ACTION Contribute your dollars or time to one of these resultsdriven organizations: The Sierra Club has teams of Water Sentinels who are dedicated to promoting water quality, education, and citizen actions. Find one in your area at sierraclub.org /watersentinels. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is raising awareness about stormwater and roof-runoff issues, and about how climate change will impact our water supply. Visit nrdc .org/action to send letters to your representatives about pending legislation. Wateraid America improves access to safe water, hygiene, and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities. Learn how you can help at wateraidamerica.org.