Set Your Green Home Priorities for Water Conservation

The hardest part about going green is figuring out where to start. Should you buy a hybrid or upgrade your insulation? There are so many different ecological concerns that you can easily feel overwhelmed. Don't panic. Nobody is perfect. You can't have zero ecological impact. That's impossible. What is possible, however, is that you lessen your footprint and find a way to live a sustainable lifestyle. The green movement isn't about living in huts and weeping over dead trees, it's about finding a way to preserve our society in a sustainable, rational and long-term way.

One of the ways you can add to the sustainability of our civilization is by conserving water. The more people on the planet, the more water our society is going to need. As the world population quickly climbs towards seven billion, we're going to have to figure out a way to use less water so there is more for agriculture and drinking. We can all do our part by conserving water in the home. But where to start?

Here is where:

Outdoor Water Usage: 112 Gallons a day
The per-capita average for outdoor water use is around 112 gallons a day. That's a whole lot of water. That's 6 times more water than the toilet which ranks in as the number 2 water-user. With all that water going towards your yard, it should be the first place where changes are made.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Fix leaks. A majority of homes are leaking ten gallons a day. But a few houses are leaking 100 gallons or more a day.
   
   From the American Water Works Association:

   Nearly 67 percent of the study homes leaked an average of 10 gallons per day or less, but 5.5 percent of the homes leaked an average of more than 100 gallons per day. Saying it another way, 10% of the homes logged were responsible for 58% of the leaks found.



2. Get a rain barrel. Use recycled rain water to water your lawn.


3. Build a rain gauge. The average lawn needs one inch of water per week to survive. Most lawns are simply over-watered.


4. Use Gray Water on Lawns. Soaps may damage plants, but fish tank water and hot water bottle water is all right for the yard.


5. Don't wash your car at home. It's actually better for the environment to go to a car wash.


6. Water early in the morning to avoid evaporation.


7. Put your garden in a greenhouse. A green house naturally recycles a portion of the water put into it.


8. Build a rock garden. A rock garden is an attractive way to reduce the size of your lawn, and thus the water needed for it.


9. A cistern can be used to collect water, and it can be used for in house non-potable use.


10. Have your lawn xeriscaped.

Read the next page "The Toilet and the Clothes Washer."

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