Tag Archive for water

Sandwich-Savings

Hungry and about to make yourself a sandwich?  Think about this: A simple sandwich takes about 172 gals. of water to make a loaf of bread and lots more for the meat and veggies to go into it.  Save water by using organic lettuce and tomatoes from a sustainable, water-wise garden and make the sandwich open-faced.Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000 or your favorite e-book seller and download to your computer or e-book device. Totally free, with no strings attached.]

Smart Phone/Smart Utilities

Use your Smartphone to do your own analysis of your home’s use of water, electricity,  heating/cooling, and appliance energy: how much you consume, pay, and add to the atmosphere’s  CO2.  Learn ways to change that.  Download the free app at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/heat-home-energy-audit-pro/id537939000?mt=8

Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000 or your favorite e-book seller and download to your computer or e-book device. Totally free, with no strings attached.]

That’s Garbage!

Use the garbage disposal less often. Between faucets washing scraps down the drain and huge amounts of water used at the sewage treatment plant, 500,000 gallons of water are wasted daily.  Choose and cook foods which produce little waste, be creative with leftovers, and turn what remains into compost  to nourish your plants without a trip to the nursery for plant food.

Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000 or your favorite e-book seller and download to your computer or e-book device. Totally free, with no strings attached.]

How Water-Efficient are You?

If you’re struggling with drought conditions and water restrictions, go to http://www.save20gallons.org/ to help determine how much water your household uses per day and how water-efficient your usage is.

Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite E-book seller.]

 

Celebrate Starting Monday…or Earlier

Monday begins a week of national observance that is extremely important, notably to Americans living in the West.  March 16-22, 2015, is National Fix-a-Leak Week.  Each leaked-away drop of water is precious, especially to those of us living in a drought.  (In our area, we have only one year of water left in storage, and our groundwater is quickly disappearing.)  Even if you live in areas that saw too much wetness this winter it’s important: when you pay your water bills and taxes, and if our drought suddenly decides to move in your direction.

To learn the facts and figures  of losing water through leaks, how to detect and fix leaks, and related information, click on http://www.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/fix_a_leak.html.

Then become part of Fix-a-Leak week starting Monday.  Or, hey, it’s a weekend.  Why not start today?

 

 

Not Just the Water in the Glass

I live in California, where we have a drought. Yet I get water automatically delivered to my table at restaurants.  Which brings me to this week’s Sensible Saturday hint.

Even if you aren’t living in drought conditions, you know that water–especially clean drinking water–is too precious to waste.  If water just shows up at your table, suggest to the restaurant manager that patrons be asked first if they want it so that water is not wasted. Remind him that it isn’t just the un-drunk water in the glass, but the water it takes to clean and sanitize that glass.  You can also make this suggestion on those comment cards or spaces for comments on your bill.

Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/ view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-tailer.]

Save the World with a Clean Refrigerator

I thought Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day (today) was funny, until I opened my fridge.  What I saw reminded me that 1/3–½ of the food produced in the world goes to waste while starvation and food insecurity are widespread. We use a huge amount of water and polluting energy to make food that just ends up in the landfill. So I’ve turned over a new lettuce leaf.  I’ll buy only what I need, buy locally grown produce whenever possible, and try growing some myself.  I’ll be creative with leftovers and aging foods, eating them before they’re wasted (my freezer helps here).  Maybe I’ll organize a potluck with friends so we can share.   If I have too much fresh produce or non-perishable items, I’ll donate them to the local food bank.  I know I’m not perfect and will have to dispose of some spoiled food.  But it won’t be much, and I’ll compost it rather than tossing it into the garbage can or wasting water by using the disposal. The money I’ll save will go to organizations fighting hunger.  It seems like the least I can do.

Use that Humidity!

Get comfy and water-wise at the same time.  Turn on your humidifier and relax.  Then, as the water accumulates in your dehumidifier, don’t dump it down the drain.  Water your plants with it instead. 


Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/ view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-tailer.]

 

 

Water-Wise Wash

Easily save 3400 gallons of water a year.  If you’re an average household, that’s how much you can save just by running only full loads of laundry. If you’re really energetic and want to get some exercise while using even less water and absolutely no electricity, hand-crank machines are still available on the market….

Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/ view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-tailer.]
 
 

The Truth about Nestle Bottled Water

Are you a fan of Calistoga bottled water?  How about Arrowhead, Ice Mountain, Ozarka, Poland Spring, or Zephyrhills?  All are brands produced by Nestle Corp. and marketed in the U.S. Nestle sells more than 65 other brands in countries besides the U.S.  Where can all that water come from? They take it from developing countries, doing great harm to natural resources and forcing the people to buy back their own water.  Take Pakistan, for example.  Nestle has taken so much water that the groundwater is reaching dangerously low levels.  The result is people’s inability to produce and earn a livelihood, pushing them into poverty.  As for the waterless land, whole areas are becoming uninhabitable.  Nestle’s CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe claims that “access to water should not be a public right.”  In other words, if you’re a large corporation, you should have the right to take a country’s water and destroy people’s lives.

Read more at  http://urbantimes.co/2013/06/nestle-the-global-search-for-liquid-gold.

If you’re not willing to give up bottled-water, avoid Nestle brands.

Also, sign the petition to Nestle executives telling them to stop stealing Pakistan’s water and driving its people into poverty and starvation.