Our Environment

“Water, water every where but not a drop to drink!” You may remember this familiar refrain. True enough, about 80% of the earth is covered by water but we are still plagued with water shortage concerns. Many believe that we have an unlimited supply of water. What they fail to realize is that, although water is a renewable resource, there is still a very big possibility that in the future we will suffer from extreme water shortages.

Ground water and surface water are the two main sources of our drinking water. Through the water cycle these sources renew themselves. But due to the fast population growth, demand for water is increased so that the water resources are not given the chance to replenish before water is again depleted.

Water conservation is a necessary step that will insure that demand is always less that the supply. This basic principle applies to all of the resources that are used by society. If we fail to reduce, replenish, and renew, then there will eventually be nothing left.

So, that being said, here are a few tips that can help you cut your own use of water at home.
Be sure to comment with your own conservation tips as well!:

1. Keep track of your water bill. Try to find ways to reduce it.
2. Fix leaky facet and plumbing fixtures. If this can not be done at once try to catch the drip with a pail. The water saved can be used to water the plants.
3. Adjust the water level in your washing machine if you can not wash full loads. The same thing goes for your dish washer. You will notice a great reduction in your water bill if you practice this tip.
4. Instruct your children to use a glass in brushing their teeth instead of just letting the water flow.
5. Take shorter showers or better yet change your shower heads to low flow. You gain to save about 3 gallons of water if you do so.
6. Use hot water to thaw food. You will consume more water if you let running water to flow over the frozen food. The water used to thaw the food can be used to water the plants.
7. Letting the pots and pans soak overnight would make for easy scouring that won’t need so much water.

You can do your part for water conservation by practising these tips and by encouraging other people to support water conservation programs too.

The drought conditions have affected the quality of life for many people. We depend on water for so many things; drinking, washing, cleaning and watering our plants and flowers. Fortunately, we can collect rain water to help our dying plants by setting up rain barrels.

Making a rain barrel and can be costly. However, there less expensive alternatives and you can put your own rain barrel together for about $30. Below are the tools and materials required as well as the instructions to making your very own rain barrel:

Tools List
Drill
6" Hole Saw (a saber saw will also work)
29/32" Drill Bit
3/4" Pipe Tap

Materials List
55-Gallon food grade barrel

Screen
3/4" Brass Faucet
Teflon Tape a.k.a. Plumbers Tape
3/4" Hose Adapter

Instructions

1. With a 6" saw, preferably a hole or a saber saw, cut a round hole on the top of your barrel. This is where the downspout will direct the rain water.
2. Use the 29/32 bit and drill one hole at the top of the barrel and one at the bottom. The bottom hole will be for your gravity fed faucet and the top one is for overflow.
3. Using a 3/4" pipe tap, thread both of the 29/32" holes.
4. If your barrel is used, you will need to clean thoroughly. Since this water will be used for your garden, avoid bleach and instead use something a little greener. Castille soap is great for this since it is made from vegetable oil.
5. Screw the hose adapter into the 3/4" threaded hole that you drilled at the top of the barrel.
6. Using the Plumbers tape, wrap the threaded side of the faucet to insure a leak proof fit.
7. Screw in the threaded end of the faucet into the 3/4" threaded hole at the bottom of the rain barrel.
8. Cover the hole in the top by placing piece of screen onto the barrel. This can be any piece of screen that you may have around. I used an old piece from a screen window.
9. Place a length of hose onto the hose adapter on the top of the barrel. Make sure you direct the flow away from your house.
10.Be sure that the barrel is raised above ground, the higher the better since you will rely on gravity for your water pressure.
11.Cut the downspout approximately 4 inches above the barrel. You will probably want to add an elbow to the downspout at this point.

At this point the barrel is ready for use. You can add the faucet to the bottom and let gravity do its thing, or you may even add a hand pump to the top if additional pressure is required.

The benefits to creating your own water barrel not only include an efficient way to conserve our natural resources but rain water is also great for plants because rain water is free of dissolved minerals. This is what is commonly known as soft water.

By following the instructions above you will be able to maintain your garden by providing water for your plants. We may not be able to control the drought, but a rain barrel is an excellent way to save our gardens.

Water conservation is very important. With the entire globe going green lately, it is very important to know what you can do to help conserve water in your home.

1. The first thing to do is to check your home for any water leaks. Read your water meter and note the results. Then wait two hours, without running any water, and read and note the results again. If the meter does not hold the same numbers, then you have a water leak, and it should be repaired immediately.

2. Do not flush unless you need to. Each time you flush your toilet, you are using five to seven gallons of water. If you are simply putting out cigarettes or throwing facial tissues into the toilet, wait to flush until it’s needed, or better yet, use a wastebasket for these items.

3. Using plastic bottles in your toilet tank can help you to save two to three gallons each flush. Put an inch of sand or small pebbles into two plastic bottles, then fill the bottles with water. Replace the lids and place these bottles in each of your toilet tanks. This helps your toilet to work like a low flush toilet, saving gallons of water each day.

4. You should also consider shortening your shower time. A four minute shower uses more than 20 gallons of water, so if you take a 15 minute shower, then you are wasting hundreds of gallons of water each week. Shorten your shower time to just enough to get the job done.

5. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Letting the water run while you are brushing your teeth is very wasteful. Turn on the water just long enough to wet and rinse your brush, and fill a glass with water for rinsing.

6. Never wash partial loads. When filling up your washing machine, or your dishwasher for that matter, always make sure that you have a full load. Washing a full load saves water over washing several partial loads. If you do not have enough to fill it, then wait until you do.

7. On the other hand, if you wash you dishes by hand, then be sure to keep the water turned off until you need it. Fill an extra sink with water for rinsing, or wash a sink full first, and then spray them off to rinse.

8. Keep drinking water on hand. Letting your faucet run to make water cold to drink is very wasteful. It is a much better practice to keep bottles of water in the refrigerator for drinking purposes.

9. Only water your lawn if it really needs it. Chances are, your lawn does not need watered as much as you think. Only when it does not spring back after being stepped on does it really need watered. Otherwise, wait for rain.

10. Finally, if you wash your car at home, be sure to keep the hose turned off until you need it. While washing, turn off the hose and turn it back of for rinsing.

You will be surprised how much water is saved by following just these few tips every day.