The day after Thanksgiving is as good a time as any to be thankful for the conveniences in our lives: clean water from the tap, sanitation in a flush, and the (mostly) invisible infrastructure that makes it all work. Here’s four ways to conserve that most basic of our resources, water, and help ensure there will continue to be a-plenty:
- Broken sprinkler shut-off: this special valve prevents irrigation water (10 gallons per minute) from being wasted at a broken sprinkler head by holding the water in the pipe. This will save about 65% more water than an irrigation system without this feature. Around $4 (www.conservco.us)
- Shorter shower: the Waterpebble (www.dry-planet.com) tracks your water usage from the valve, with the first use establishing your normal shower time. Each subsequent shower, it alerts you when you’ve reached that point, flashing slightly earlier on each shower to subtly speed up the amount of time you spend in the water by 5% over three showers. About $12.
- Native Grass: the University of Nebraska is developing a new type of lawn grass, based on buffalo grass which is native to the US. Traditional grass used for lawns (like fescue or blue grass) are native European strains, thus needing more water and general maintenance. About 50 cents per sod plug (www.toddvalleyfarms.com)
- Go with the Flow: installing low-flow aerators on your faucets couldn’t be easier; for a few bucks at your local hardware store, take the average 2.2 gallons per minute (gpm) down to meet the EPA standard of 1.5 gpm. Take it even further by using Niagra Conservation’s aerator, which has 3 settings: .5, 1.0, or 1.5 gpm, allowing you to adjust based on the task at hand. About $11.50 (www.niagaraconservation.com)
The upside of saving water (besides the obvious) is parallel energy savings – less hot water used = less energy spent heating and moving it.
These tips and more from Popular Science, www.popsci.com
The average American uses almost 1200 gallons of water per day – that includes “virtual” water. For more on water conservation, and an interactive water footprint calculator, try www.h2oconserve.com . I used the calculator, and am relieved that my individual use is “only” 820 gallons per day – incredible… that still seems like a ridiculous amount. I think I’ll be ordering those aerators…
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