Join the Blue Revolution: Good Better Best
Transform your household into a model for smart water use and you will immediately start reaping rewards. There are a multitude of actions, large and small, that you can take to conserve water inside and outside your home. Below are some great suggestions to get you started, as well as some interesting facts. For instance, did you know that the majority of Californians are unaware that over 50 percent of residential water is applied to landscapes and lawns? Remember that whether the savings results are small or large, every one of these actions will have a positive impact on your environment.
Outdoors
GOOD: Spread two to three inches of organic or synthetic mulch around plants, shrubs, and trees. This allows the underlying soil to retain moisture and reduces weeding, both of which benefit plant growth. You won’t need to water as often either.
BETTER: Install a smart irrigation system that uses state-of-the-art technology to care for your lawn and gardens and cut your outdoor water consumption by 25–45 percent. This computer-based method of irrigation integrates current weather data from the Web with analysis of soil moisture content collected by ground sensors to provide precision watering for outdoor areas.
BEST: Plant drought-resistant trees, shrubs, and plants that are native to your region. This is called xeriscaping and its fundamental benefit is water conservation, though other advantages include minimal upkeep and lower water bills. Check with your local garden center to find out which species are recommended for your area.
Kitchen
GOOD: Wash fruits and vegetables over a bowl or bucket in your sink and reuse it to water plants. Also, don’t keep the tap running when washing dishes. Instead, clean them in a sink full of soapy water and rinse afterward.
BETTER: Fix leaky faucets. Those drips may not seem like a lot, but collectively, American households with defective faucets waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water annually. Did you know that:
60 drops = 192 gallons
per minute lost per month
90 drops = 310 gallons
per minute lost per month
120 drops = 429 gallons
per minute lost per month
BEST: Install faucet aerators. It’s the single most effective way to conserve water in your house. Old-fashioned faucets use 2.75 gallons per minute, but low-flow aerators can reduce flow to 0.5 or 1.5 gpm, saving the average home 14,700 gallons per year. Most modern faucets are threaded inside to accept an aerator, making installation even by the least handy almost instantaneous.
Bathroom
GOOD: Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth and save roughly two gallons per minute. No purchases or products required, just a little eco-thoughtfulness.
BETTER: Install a low-flow 1.5 gallons-per-minute showerhead — this can save the average family close to 8,000 gallons of water per year. Showering accounts for 17 percent of a household’s indoor water use. Cutting back on hot water expenditure has the secondary benefit of reducing energy consumption, too.
BEST: Replace your old toilet with a newer low-flow, dual-flush model and you will conserve 50 percent more water in the bathroom. (Non-conserving toilets can use more than 3.5 gallons per flush but high-efficiency toilets — or HETs — only require 1.6 gallons per flush.)