Time to conserve water :: Helpful Tips

Here are some tips to help conserve water:

• Please, turn off the water while you brush your teeth, shave or wash your hands.
• You'll use less water if you use mulch in your garden and it cuts down on weeds.
• Check for leaks. Turn off all taps -- watch your meter. If it's moving, you might by wasting water.
• Install low-flow toilets, seriously. You can use 30% less water.
• Run your sprinkler at night between 10 and 6. Heat and wind can steal 60% of the water.
• If it rains, turn off your sprinklers for a few days.
• Don't cut your grass too short. Longer grass holds the water better.
• Overwatering is not good for your plants or our city. Twice a week will work.
• Create a more interesting lawn by using native plants and trees that are water-efficient.
• Wash your car with a bucket of soapy water, not just the hose.
• Removing leaves and other debris from your sidewalk or deck? Sweep it instead of using the hose.
• Use hoses and sprinkler heads the drip water slowly, close to the ground.
• Make a personal commitment to water your lawn only twice a week. It's good for your pocketbook and our city. Reduce Your Use.
• Watering your garden? Use water from the pool, hot tub or ice-chest instead of the hose.
• Fix leaky hoses and faucets.
• Notice a business or resident wasting water on a regular basis? Call the City, we want to know.
• Take shorter showers. You can save 3 gallons of water for every minute.
• Install water-efficient devices in the bathroom and kitchen.
• Cut-back on using your garbage disposal by starting a compost pile.
• Wash your clothes by hand when you can and match the load size with the machine.
• Concrete won't grow. Don't water your driveway, sidewalks or street.
• Install water efficient shower heads and faucets with a flow rate of 2 gallons per minute.
• Collect Rainwater - it's great for your garden and lawn.
• Need to thaw food. Soak it - don't keep the water running.

Why colleges and universities should strive for sustainability Many students consider green practices when selecting a school

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Even seemingly small steps toward sustainability and for water conservation can save colleges and universities money and attract environmentally conscious students. Besides, these steps, however modest, are “the right thing to do,” said Eddie Elsberry, director of environmental compliance and sustaina­bility at Berry College.

For example, though installing low-flow toilets may cost around $200 each, they save money and send a message, said Eric Lindberg, Rome-Floyd County director of environmental services.

Low-flow toilets — and any water-conserving step for that matter — save money because of the costs associated with treating water before its reintroduction into the supply.

“It takes energy to get water pumped, and it takes money to produce the chemicals that the water is treated with,” Elsberry said.

In terms of energy, the best way to save money and reduce environmental impact is reducing use of hot water and buying water-efficient appliances, according to Alice Keyes, planning and policy adviser for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

Keyes cited low-flow showerheads as a great place to start. “They make sure only 2.5 gallons of water are used per minute,” she said.

Attracting students

There is also evidence that sustainability may attract students to colleges and universities that can demonstrate efforts to achieve it.

According to studies by the President’s Climate Commitment organization, 25 percent of college applicants say that sustain­a­bility impacts their decision.

Websites and publications designed to help parents and students make college choices are beginning to take notice, as well.

The Princeton Review recently published a “green rating honor roll” listing the top colleges in terms of striving for and achieving sustainability, a feature article that includes a list of specific sustainable features or selling points at the colleges on the honor roll.

And a website called Green Student U publishes a list of colleges with green campuses, those that demonstrate environmentally friendly practices.

Christine Clolinger, a senior environmental science major at Berry College and student carbon neutrality manager of ECoS, said the growing number of websites like greenstudentU.com and that of Princeton Review are evidence that more and more students are considering sustainability when making their college decisions.

USA Today recently published an article describing the trend showing students choosing more eco-friendly universities over those that have not made sustainability a priority. In addition, because enthusiasm for sustain­a­bility has grown among the general population, there is a higher demand for jobs in the field, creating an opportunity for college students to earn degrees in those fields, according to the article.

Girl Scout Dives into Water Conservation

Alyssa Pepper is organizing the Livingston Water Summit to focus on better use of water.

Alyssa Pepper, a competitive swimmer and LHS junior, spends more than 20 hours a week around water. So it’s really no surprise that she’s making a splash in environment circles by organizing a daylong conference on water quality and conservation.

 “I’m a swimmer, so I love water,” Alyssa explains.

Alyssa is working on her Gold Project as a Girl Scout. A few years ago, for another scouting project, she became interested in ways to save water and organized an educational field trip to Livingston's Water Pollution Control Facility. For that project she won the NJ Clean Communities student award. 

This year, Alyssa decided to organize a "water summit" with speakers and information on water quality and conservation. Alyssa has lined up an impressive list of speakers, including the state climatologist and head of the Passaic River Coalition. Participants will be given a quiz, with those who answer correctly entered to win a rain barrel.

The Livingston Water Summit will be Wednesday, June 22, from 7-9 p.m. at the Livingston Senior/Community Center, 204 Hillside Ave., Livingston.

Alyssa is a member of Girl Scout Troop 20743. She’s been involved in scouting since she was a 10-year-old Brownie at Riker Hill Elementary School. Usually though you can find her in the pool. She swims for the Berkeley Aquatic Club, a backstroke specialist who has trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Her interest in water quality and conservation is a natural extension of her athletic pursuits. She’ll be taking AP environmental science next year at LHS and is already thinking of a career in environmental law.

Water Footprint Calculator - National Geographic

Water Footprint Calculator

via environment.nationalgeographic.com

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June 8, 2011 : World Oceans Day

World Ocean Day began on 8 June 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

World Ocean Day is an opportunity every year to honor the world's ocean that connects us all, celebrate the products the ocean provides, such as seafood, as well as marine life itself for aquariums, pets, and also a time to appreciate its own intrinsic value. The ocean also provides sea-lanes for international trade. Global pollution and over-consumption of fish have resulted in drastically dwindling population of the majority of species.

Click here for more Green Dates