Water saving tips

While the world’s poorest survive on less than five gallons a day, the average Southern Californian’s water footprint exceeds 1,800 gallons per day.  The photo below is a sculpture of water jugs– 1,800 of them, to illustrate how much water one person uses each day (courtesy of the Ecology Center):

Since a 950-gallon daily footprint is considered a sustainable global standard, we still have some work to do.  Below we offer several ways to save water in your everyday activities:

• Grow your own food or buy organic from your local farmer’s market when in season. GALLONS SAVED: 150 gallons per day
• Purchase – and use – a reusable water bottle.  GALLONS SAVED: 6 gallons per day
• Turn off unnecessary lighting and replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs or LEDs. GALLONS SAVED: 5 gallons per day
• Thirsty toilet:  fill a used bottle with sand, screw the cap back on and place it in the tank to displace some of the water.  GALLONS SAVED: 2 gallons per day
• Install a drip irrigation system, plant natives and apply mulch. GALLONS SAVED: 150 gallons per day
• Laundry:  only wash full loads and consider retrofitting your clothes washer to irrigate your lawn. GALLONS SAVED: 40 gallons per wash
• Turn the faucet off while brushing your teeth. GALLONS SAVED: 8 gallons per day
• Products/technology:  take care of the things you have so they last longer. GALLONS SAVED: 100’s of gallons per day
• Swap a meat-based meal (or two) for a veggie-based meal each week. GALLONS SAVED: 2,000 gallons per week
• Wash your car at a commercial car wash instead of in your driveway. GALLONS SAVED: 50 gallons per wash

Here are some iPhone apps to help you keep track:

• Virtual Water:   the Virtual Water digital companion helps you grow more concious about how much water our everyday food and beverages really consume.  Use the slider to adjust the amount of each product. swipe to navigate and compare products. Flip to get quick facts. The app supports the metric as well as the US customary system.
• My Water Diary:  My Water Diary is an app that helps you track your weekly water consumption so that you can reduce your use and save money.

Video Friday: Project Bandaloop

For a former dancer who is also terrified of heights, watching these aerial artists dance sideways off the sides of skyscrapers is like having an out-of-body experience.  Terrifying and gorgeous, at the same time!

First, please watch this quick, one minute snippet, to help your brain understand that these dancers are dancing on the side of a building:

Next up is a longer, professionally shot video, of 3 women aerial dancing:

There are several more videos on youtube featuring different dances, and if this video peaks your interest in this dance troupe, I recommend watching a few!

Dots on a Dam

The images are genuine.  (google Snopes.com to verify, if you don’t believe your eyes!)  The animals in the photographs are in fact Alpine Ibex on the Cingino Dam in the Italian Alps.

These agile animals apparently scale dam walls in order to lick salt off the rock.

I think I’ll stick to buying my salt at the local grocery store….

World Water Day 2011

On March 22 we celebrate World Water Day, an annual event held to focus attention on the importance of freshwater while advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.  World Water Day 2011 will focus attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems.

This year’s theme, Water for Cities, responds to the challenge of urban water management.  With city populations increasing faster than city infrastructure can adapt, water and waste services show significant underinvestment.

Piped water coverage is declining in many settings, and the poor get the worst services, often paying the highest water prices.  Few urban authorities in developing countries have found a sustainable solution to urban sanitation, and utilities cannot afford to extend sewers to the slums, nor can they treat the volume of sewage already collected. Solid waste disposal is a growing threat to health and the environment.

The big opportunity is increased recycling and reuse of water and wastes, an integrated urban management. Adopting more efficient water treatment technologies and capturing water and wastes within the city will also minimize environmental and downstream pollution.

Next week we offer solutions for saving water in your own environment. 

Video Friday: Keb’Mo “It hurts me, too”

Video Friday:  Keb’Mo “It hurts me too”

Blues for the weekend: