How-To Green Your Water

How-To Green Your Water

This list (and the “How to Green Your Electricity”) is on-going. If you have anything to add, please e-mail us. Water is a limited resource, especially here in Orange County, so be sure to follow these tips to get the most out of your water. Before the county pronounces a mandatory conservation, these tips will help you to save and do your part. With enough support and involvement, Orange County can save 15-20% of it’s water just by saving 50 gallons a day. Save your water and save the OC.

1) Stop the tap: While you may not directly feel the effects of having less water at this moment in time, saving on your water bill and lowering your usage never hurt anyone. By taking shorter showers, turning off the water (while you wash your hands, dishes, teeth, or shave and so on) and cutting down on usage outdoors, you’ll conserve 9,200 gallons of water every year and put hundreds back into your pocket. For even more ways to save, check out wateruseitwisely.com 100 ways.

2) Don’t let water go down the drain: Installing a gray water system (see Home section) that will recycle the water you are using on the inside to water the outside even has tax advantages and rebate incentives. You can use a simple DIY system by placing a bucket underneath the faucet and using it to water indoor or outdoor plants or a have a gray water unit installed (see Home section) to recapture the clean waste water from your sink, faucet, and bathtub.

3) When it rains, it pours: Capturing rain water to use in your garden will conserve what Mother Earth is giving to you and will help arrogate without turning on the water. A simple system you can create yourself would be to use a clean trash bin to collect the water. You can also have them installed to capture the water in your storm drains.

4) Never water your lawn: Never? Wouldn’t that just kill it? Yes, but you have a few alternatives and irrigating your lawn uses 7 billion gallons of water in the US. Using native californian plants and xeriscaping will help you need less in the first place (See “How to Green Your Garden). You can also have Astroturf installed if you’re desperate for the lawn-look, although no research has been done as to whether or not it is safe for your family or green. If you just can’t let go of your green landscape, install a drip system that uses gray water instead of fresh water from water-wasting sprinklers and keep your grass at 3-4 inches, so it can hold more moisture. Plus, your garden will love you for it.

5) Be a plumber for a day: Tighten your pipes to stop any drips from your sinks, faucets, and showers. Just grab out the ol’ wrench and tighten away. You can even install washers to keep the plumbing from dripping. Keep what you have well-maintained and save gallons of water everyday. For helpful guides and instructions, see h2ouse.org.

6) Install the new: Installing new fixtures and appliances can also save a bundle. In Orange County, the Municipal Water District offers numerous incentives for the purchase of dual flush toilets, low-flow shower-heads, and water-efficient washing machines and dish washers. You can save over 80 gallons a day just by getting paid to install more water-saving utilities. What could be better?

7) Do it by Hand: Before there were dish washers and washing machines, people did these chores by hand. It may be out of the question for you if you have a large family to take care of, but if you’re single or a smaller family, try washing by hand. An alternative would be to make a family day out of washing your laundry or just make it a practice one or twice a month. You’ll see a dramatic difference in your water bill. If it’s not an option, use the cold water setting on full-loads of laundry and pre-soak items when they’re soiled. Run your dishwasher after 7p.m. and scrape dishes clean, rather than washing them. Only wash your dishes when you have a full-load and use the shortest cycle possible.

8) Halt on the Driveway: If you’re a driveway washer or you enjoy washing your car, you could be using over 40 gallons each time you do. Using an industrial size, outdoor broom will get the driveway clean in no time. Try supporting your local green car wash, Pronto Wash, which only uses 1 pint of water per car cleaned (see Clean section). They will even come to you, saving you time, money, and gas.

!!! A little extra green: Use your own bottle--Stop purchasing bottled water and start using a filtered water system installed directly into your sink. Many water bottles and canned food’s are manufactured to be used once and then recycled contain Poly Bisphenol-A (PBA’s), a chemical that is toxic to humans and has numerous harmful side-effects (including early puberty onset). You can now purchase Camel Bak’s and bottles, like SIGG, from REI that are PBA and phthalate free.

*The author spent a year traveling abroad and noticed that other countries are eco-conscious and conservative with their resources with trying to be. She washed her laundry by hand and hung it out to dry and cleaned her dishes in the sink. Every where she went there were dual-flush toilets and low-flow shower-heads. “It really wasn’t that difficult to get used to and it felt great knowing I was doing my part to help the city maintain its resources.”

By Jenn O’Brien