Here are three areas to mind, when you want to help the cause for water conservation... brought to you by GREENWISE Water & Landscapes.
1. Your Lawn
Plan A: If you’ve got a lawn, stop watering it. It will go dormant. Let it turn brown and crisp. Water it once or twice a month to keep it alive, and when rains return, the lawn will revive. You’ll save time and effort mowing, and more importantly, you’ll save a tremendous amount of water. When you water once or twice a month, do so only long enough to wet the root zone to a depth of three to five inches. Use a flat-blade screwdriver or trowel to check.
Plan B: Most Californians think they use more water indoors than outdoors, but typically, the opposite is true. If you find that the only time you walk across your lawn is to mow it, consider replacing it with water-wise shrubs and bushes that require little maintenance, such as sage, manzanita, Santa Barbara daisy, lavender, yucca, and sedum.
2. Your Toilet
Stop flushing so much. You don’t need to flush every time you use the toilet. The 1977 drought – driest year on record in California – taught us “if it’s yellow, let it mellow.” The average person flushes five times a day, and toilets use on average nearly two gallons per flush. Eliminate three flushes a day, and you’ll save more than 2,000 gallons a year. Toilets are the biggest users of water in the typical home.
3. Your Mouth
Educate: Talk to your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors about water and how we use it. When they know you’re concerned about drought and water supply, they’ll think twice about their own daily practices. Imagine how much water we’d save statewide if millions of Californians halted sprinklers and skipped some toilet flushes each day. Word of mouth can help us get there.
Provide Feedback: Give kudos to the neighbor spreading mulch around his trees and shrubs (mulch reduces evaporation). Give gentle reminders to those watering when they shouldn’t. (Many local water districts have restricted outdoor watering to only certain days of the week, and even on those days, it’s best to water in the early morning to reduce evaporation). Tell your family members to keep their showers short.
Bonus Ideas
How you save water depends upon your circumstances. Try these ideas:
Moderate Cost
Install new low-flush toilets
Install a highly-efficient washing machine
Low Cost
Install an aerator that limits how much water flows from your bathroom faucet, but not so much that it interferes with hand washing and teeth brushing.
Install a shower head shutoff valve that allows you to easily turn the shower water off and on, so you can cut flow while you shampoo and lather.
No Cost
Always run full loads in a dishwasher or washing machine.
Place a bucket under the tub and sink faucet to capture water while you are waiting for the hot water. Use it in the garden!
Plan A: If you’ve got a lawn, stop watering it. It will go dormant. Let it turn brown and crisp. Water it once or twice a month to keep it alive, and when rains return, the lawn will revive. You’ll save time and effort mowing, and more importantly, you’ll save a tremendous amount of water. When you water once or twice a month, do so only long enough to wet the root zone to a depth of three to five inches. Use a flat-blade screwdriver or trowel to check.
Plan B: Most Californians think they use more water indoors than outdoors, but typically, the opposite is true. If you find that the only time you walk across your lawn is to mow it, consider replacing it with water-wise shrubs and bushes that require little maintenance, such as sage, manzanita, Santa Barbara daisy, lavender, yucca, and sedum.
2. Your Toilet
Stop flushing so much. You don’t need to flush every time you use the toilet. The 1977 drought – driest year on record in California – taught us “if it’s yellow, let it mellow.” The average person flushes five times a day, and toilets use on average nearly two gallons per flush. Eliminate three flushes a day, and you’ll save more than 2,000 gallons a year. Toilets are the biggest users of water in the typical home.
3. Your Mouth
Educate: Talk to your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors about water and how we use it. When they know you’re concerned about drought and water supply, they’ll think twice about their own daily practices. Imagine how much water we’d save statewide if millions of Californians halted sprinklers and skipped some toilet flushes each day. Word of mouth can help us get there.
Provide Feedback: Give kudos to the neighbor spreading mulch around his trees and shrubs (mulch reduces evaporation). Give gentle reminders to those watering when they shouldn’t. (Many local water districts have restricted outdoor watering to only certain days of the week, and even on those days, it’s best to water in the early morning to reduce evaporation). Tell your family members to keep their showers short.
Bonus Ideas
How you save water depends upon your circumstances. Try these ideas:
Moderate Cost
Install new low-flush toilets
Install a highly-efficient washing machine
Low Cost
Install an aerator that limits how much water flows from your bathroom faucet, but not so much that it interferes with hand washing and teeth brushing.
Install a shower head shutoff valve that allows you to easily turn the shower water off and on, so you can cut flow while you shampoo and lather.
No Cost
Always run full loads in a dishwasher or washing machine.
Place a bucket under the tub and sink faucet to capture water while you are waiting for the hot water. Use it in the garden!
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