Thirsty?

You may be surprised (or not) to know that I have a bit of an environmentalist streak. It's kind of hard not to be an environmentalist these days. It's not considered so radical anymore, now it's generally considered a requisite facet of being a responsible human being. We've really come a long way in that regard. And now Lotus, with her monthly carnival, has given me the excuse to talk about it.

Recently I was alarmed to overhear a self-proclaimed environmentalist say to a friend who was concerned about conserving water, "oh, I'm not worried about wasting water. Didn't you know water is a renewable resource?"

Well shut my mouth. My jaw dislocated and dropped a good three feet, and since I've already got TMJ that really wasn't a good thing.

Yes, water is a renewable resource. However, as with any renewable resource, it is only renewable to the degree that the rate of consumption is not greater than the speed with which it can renew. And who do you think is winning that race? If we beat water to the finish line, everyone loses.

"All of our drinking water comes from two sources groundwater (underground aquifers) or surface water (lakes, rivers, streams). These sources renew themselves through the water cycle. This is where water moves from the earth to the air and back again. The most basic problem is this - as our population grows, so do the demands placed on these resources. Therefore, water is being drawn out more quickly than it can replenish itself." Source

Many people are aware there is something of a crisis, but I don't think most realize how bad it really is. Orme, Tenessee, actually is out of water. The Colorado River reservoirs, which serve much of the South West United States, are expected to be dry by 2021.

"Despite problems, numbers released yesterday by the San Diego County Water Authority show that the county set a record high for water use in 2007."

Here's a puppy.


So not only is there a crisis, and not only is it really quite bad, but people are actually using more water in spite of it. And with nations such as China and India becoming more developed, world-wide consumption is increasingly turning the renewability and availability of fresh water into the stuff of myth and legend.

As a developed nation with an implacable thirst, I think it really falls to us to do something about this problem.

"The average American individual uses 100 to 176 gallons of water at home each day. The average African family uses about 5 gallons of water each day." That's the average American individual, not the average family.

Now if it were up to me, having grown up in a desert that is increasingly checkerboarded with thirsty and preposterous golf courses, I think outlawing golf would be an excellent and effective first step. Okay, so astro-turf then. They can keep their silly game, but they have to use fake grass. Deal?

Other than that, here are some ways to conserve water that you may not have considered before.

1. If you have landscaping, use plants that are native to your area and thereby use the appropriate amount of water for your area. Consider using gravel as an attractive ground cover instead of grass.

2. When doing laundry, set the water gauge to one notch below where you'd normally set it. I do this and have not noticed any detrimental effect.

3. Sink a plastic bottle into your toilet tank(s). Every flush uses between 5 and 7 gallons of water! But if you fill an empty plastic soda or dish detergent bottle with water, remove the label, and sink it in the reservoir of your toilet, you can reduce that to 2-4 gallons of water for each flush. That’s an easy fix with a major impact.

4. Buy powdered laundry and dish detergents. The liquid versions simply have water added to them, making them a waste of water, money, and packaging.

5. When you run the water to wait for it to get hot, use that water to fill a pitcher to keep in the refrigerator, or use it to water plants, make coffee, etc.

Here, have a cupcake.



6. When washing your car:

• Keep the car well waxed. This increases the ability of its surface to release dirt and reduces the amount of wash water necessary for cleaning.
• If you have confidence in your abilities with it, use a pressure washer. This takes less water than applying water with a garden hose.
• Wash in the morning or early evening to reduce rapid evaporation from the car surface.
• Consider using a car duster to remove dust, rather than rinsing with a hose

7. If you really must have grass: "I live in Florida and I do not water my lawn. I also cut the grass at the highest setting- this allows the grass to develop deep root systems which will allow you to never water your lawn. Grass is either developing roots or leaf, so not cutting it short stimulates deep root growth." Also, drip irrigation systems use between 20 to 50 percent less water than conventional in-ground sprinkler systems.

8. Double up in the shower. Take showers with your spouse, it's fun! And showering with your toddler gets them used to showering early, and showering uses much less water than baths. (10-25 gallons as opposed to 75)

9. When you wash dishes by hand, don't do it under running water. Fill one side of the sink with soapy water and the other with plain. Wash in the soapy water, rinse in the plain.

10. Wash your fruits and veggies as I've demonstrated here, rather than under running water. Not only does it save a lot of water, it cleans your produce more effectively and helps keep it fresher longer.

11. Tell a friend!

Some informative links:

Why is Water Conservation important?
World Water Council: Water Crisis
U.S. Water Supply Dries Up
25 Ways to Save Water at Home
America's Greenest Cities
Water Facts

Edited to add two things.

1. The tips I've included here I've included specifically because I felt they are things anyone can do. Generally when water conservation is discussed, only homeowners are thought of, as far as replacing hot water heaters and insulating pipes and such. As a renter, I've always noticed that we renters are too often left out of the equation. This was even true as far as hurricane safety in Florida, all of the safety tips were geared toward homeowners. We couldn't put up plywood, we weren't even allowed to put tape on the windows, etc., but there was no advice for us. So I was looking at more general advice that can be applied to anyone.

2. Try not to think too much about borders. What anyone does anywhere to conserve water effects the entire planet. I do think those of us in developed nations need to be very vigilant, simply because we use a heck of a lot more water than underdeveloped nations. Imagine how much more conservative we'd be if we had to haul our water in buckets from a pump or a stream?

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