Comments on: Green Week Day 2: Using Less Water

By: FinnyKnits

FinnyKnits — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:26:13 +0000

A few new things I’ve started to do lately that let every drop of water do double duty:
-Water left from boiling artichokes becomes soup base
-Dirty dog dish water goes into the house plants
-Melting ice from my post-run knee icepacks goes into the potted plants outside
-Water left in my overnight water glass goes in the cat/dog bowls
-Water left in my Nalgene at the end of the day goes in the dog’s work dish
-Hot water left in the double boiler after baking (I recently melted chocolate for homemade brownies) gets soaked up with hand towels and used to wipe down the counters, stove, fridge and any other surface that could use a disinfectant-free cleaning

By: Emily

Emily — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:09:46 +0000

First, I think all American toilets should be changed to European ones. Each time I use one, I’m SHOCKED as to how much water there’s in them. You don’t need it all. Trust me. The owners of our apartment put a large glass in the toilet (not the bowl…the other part…what’s it called?) to hold water so that when we flush and it refills…there’s less water being used.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:02:35 +0000

We have a very small patch of grass out front, and its native grass we hardly ever have to water it, we use mostly native plants for decorating. We have plans to build a cistern that will catch rain water off of our roof. We will use this for watering and also when we don’t have water. When you live in the country you tend to lose water and power very often. I only wash my car once a quarter. I like the idea of the bucket in the shower, I’m going to start doing that.

By: Bronwyn

Bronwyn — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 07:35:12 +0000

That is excellent – well done! I like the idea of putting a bucket in the shower to catch excess h20 for the pot plants – I’m going to do it too – thx for the inspiration. I guess all it takes is one person at a time slowly gathering momentum to make a difference.

By: sharon in sugar land

sharon in sugar land — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 05:23:25 +0000

Since we have sooooo much rain here in texas right now, i keep my buckets outside and then use it to water the inside plants. I also make ice cubes with juice, turn the water off when brushing my teeth, pour my leftover drinking water into the dog bowl (if there’s any left), and finally I try to wax instead of shaving (this cuts down on shower time).

By: Prissy

Prissy — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 04:16:17 +0000

I used a timer after I saw the timer posted on the Flickr group. I take a 10 minute shower, I’m going to try to do better.

By: heidi

heidi — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 03:02:24 +0000

even any good camper can appreciate not having running water. such an easy thing to save!

By: jessica

jessica — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 02:11:58 +0000

being very conscious about using water.

i like your idea of rock garden.

By: Katie

Katie — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 01:27:08 +0000

It’s sounds gross, but I saw someone else up there say it. And I’ve heard Cameron Diaz say it too (cause you know, celebrities are so in tune with the environment) “If it’s yellow, let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.” It’s just one way to save water We used to do it when I was a kid because we lived on an old farm with a well and couldn’t let it run dry during a drought.

I also really love that bucket idea. I’m going to have to try that!

Oh, and watering the garden really early in the am, or late evening saves water. You just water them more deeply and the plants get the moisture they need before it can evaporate like it will do if it’s really hot.

By: Grace

Grace — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 01:14:36 +0000

ooooo
i have to think about this one