WATER: WHAT ARE WE DOING
ABOUT IT?
WATER: WHAT ARE WE DOING
ABOUT IT?
We tend to take water for granted. Until a lawn-shriveling lack of rain and shrinking reservoirs make a shortage something we can see, most of us really don't think much about this most precious of substances. Yet no matter what our own region's water situation looks like, we should.
If you're still not convinced about the need to conserve, the new film, Last Call At the Oasis, will seal the deal. Now playing in limited release (translation: weekend runs at art houses in big cities) but expected on DVD in a few months, this illuminating documentary film looks at what's ailing humanity's fresh water supply. Call it An Inconvenient Truth for the wet set. Trust me - you'll walk out a water conservation convert. The moral of its story is this: Even if you live in an area where water is presently plentiful, the era where it won't be is probably not too far off. If you live in a place where water is already is short supply, those supplies are only going to get shorter. Either way, using less today can help prevent a tomorrow where there's no longer enough to go around. That usually means offering some water-saving tips, and we've certainly poured up plenty in the past. But what do you do when you've already done the no-brainers? How about things like these:
* If you have to wash your car, use a natural detergent and wash it on the lawn where the run-off can run right into your grass to reduce the need for watering. Same goes for washing the dog!
* Reuse your cooking water. It's still good for a few more boils. Save it in the fridge for next time, use it for soup, or water the houseplants. Just don't pour it down the drain.
* Wash your produce in a bowl of water instead of under a running tap. Then use that water for your gardens or houseplants.
* Use one glass, one plate, and one set of utensils all day. Why dirty something new to wash every time you have something to drink or eat?
* Tape your hoses. Hose connections are notoriously leaky water-wasters. But wrapping the male ends with a few layers of Teflon tape will seal them up tight.
* Get a rain barrel. Send your gutter water there and use it for your garden, houseplants, lawn, car washings, and other outdoor uses.
* Don't wash your clothes every time you take them off. Socks and underwear, sure. But pants, sweaters, towels, and other bare necessities can usually be worn more than once before hitting the laundry circuit.
* Keep some buckets by your bathtub. Save the water you run waiting for it to get hot for other things.
* Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge for ice cold supply of instant refreshment you won't have to run the faucet to enjoy.
* Mow less frequently and let your grass grow. Taller grass preserves soil moisture and reduces the need for watering.
* Lastly (and I'll try to be as delicate as possible), if you live where privacy permits such things, consider opening the valve on your own personal plumbing in the great outdoors. This is easier for the boys than the girls, and more for rural folk than city dwellers, but if you can go where things grow, you'll save a flush and deliver unto nature a sterile source of terrific fertilization packed with nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
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Written by: Seventh Generation
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