This The Nation article, As the World Burns, caught my attention after I read the small farmer vs. big government article. It talks about the recent Georgia drought, and how it's not too isolated in relation to the rest of the world. In fact, there are exceptional droughts occuring all over the globe.
After the governor asked us to cut back on water by ten percent, I did a little research on what we can do to conserve water. Here are some of the things we've been doing.
After the governor asked us to cut back on water by ten percent, I did a little research on what we can do to conserve water. Here are some of the things we've been doing.
- -Taking shorter showers. I turn the water off while I'm scrubbing or shaving.
- -Saving bath and shower water and using it to flush the toilets. I went to the store and bought a stopper for our bathtub. Having tons of water in the bathtub is a little tricky with little ones around, but I try to keep the bathroom doors and shower curtains closed.
- -Flushing toilets only after something serious happens. I got this idea from the UGA homecoming games, where people were told to not flush if it was only yellow, and to let the "designated flusher" assigned to each restroom handle the job.
- -Putting the dishwasher on "water miser" mode. I know, this is a little lame-- as in, why didn't I do this before? I'm also using less water to rinse dishes, and only run the dishwasher on full loads.
- -Washing diapers on the lowest water level. A small concession, but I'm not ready to give up cloth, yet.
A small consolation is that the small creek that runs through our backyard is still trickling the way it always has. A much better consolation is that God has been answering our prayers for rain. The question in my mind is still nagging-- where will we go/ what will we do if the water actually does run out?
What are you doing to conserve?
Comments
Also, do you have a rain barrel? You can flush the toilet with that water too.
So, on top of following the legal requirements, we've got a 3 minute timer in the shower (useless for trying to wash long hair!), and alot of people put buckets in the shower to catch the extra water. We don't have a dishwasher, and rinse dishes in another tub in the sink, to tip on the garden. Always run the washing machine full, install a rain water tank, and recycle all grey water wherever possible!
Target 140 has some more great ideas for saving water. It bugs me tho that residential use is so restricted, yet commercial & industrial still use millions of litres.
I still think the "Elijah" tape is the most up to date info on the drought condition!
Speaking of commercial use... imagine my shock when the automatic toilet flushed six times at the South Carolina welcome center last week! I was sitting perfectly still, too! I'm thinking about writing a letter.
And... thanks for the ideas!