/// Nature’s Fury ///
Drastic H20 Reductions
Ready to get really serious about saving fresh water? Start at the bottom of the pyramid and work your way up. Is it fair to include meat eating as a household water guzzler? We think so— unless you’re dining out every meal.
SMALLER H20 SAVINGS
PART THREE
A combination of large and small lifestyle adjustments can reduce household water use dramatically.
Stop Leaks – Finally, check for leaks in hoses, toilets and anyplace else that may be quietly tapping your precious water resources.
Slow the Flow – Add aerators that restrict faucet waterfl ow to 1.0 gpm and save about 1,700 gallons annually for a typical household. Newer showerheads reduce fl ow to as little as 1.75 gpm without losing pressure.
Upgrade Appliances – Upgrading an old clothes washer to a front-loading model typically reduces water use by about half, saving up to 8,000 gallons annually. Newer dishwashers off er similar dramatic improvement over old models.
Replace Toilets – Replacing household toilets with 1.6 gpf models saves about 14,000 gallons of water per year for a family of four.
Upgrade Sprinkler Irrigation – Replace sprinkler systems with a drip system controlled by an electronic moisture sensor that only operates when necessary. It should also include a rain sensor that shuts off irrigation when it’s raining.
Cover Pools and Replace Lawns with Plants – About 30% of household water use happens outdoors. Swimming pool covers reduce water lost to evaporation by up to 80%. Pools can be topped off with collected rainwater, when it’s available, and drained (preferably for use as gray water) during the driest seasons. Convert lawns to native xeriscaping. Lawns are not only passé, they’re a monoculture, reliant on chemicals and (often) combustion engine for maintenance.
BIGGEST H20 SAVINGS
Stop Eating Meat – According to The Guardian, a meat-eating person anywhere in the world requires about 1,100 gallons of water a day to produce his food, compared with about 450 gallons a day for a vegetarian diet. That’s a 650 gallon diff erence per person. A typical family of four uses 400 gallons a day for both house and yard.
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