In our medal-count-leading country, Olympic athletes remind us that preparation leads to success. However, as seen in dealing with the financial crisis, the environmental crisis and the health care crisis, our politicians would rather put off preparation and prevention until well after it’s too late.
Politicians will be politicians.
Therefore, I suggest that we, the American public, take after our well-prepared Olympic athletes and attack the looming water crisis with more of a preventative strategy. By preparing, we prevent failure. In fact, that is our only option. It’s not like we have a choice to be reactionary in this potential crisis. Waiting for this issue to officially hit home will be too late. Our dehydrated brains will wonder, (with increasing difficulty – because our brains are over 80% water) “How could we have prevented this?”
Here’s how.
Top Ten Daily Water Saving Tips
1. Showering– Shower with someone. Keep showers under 4 minutes. Purchase a low-flow shower head.
2. Grooming– Turn off the water while you brush your teeth, shave, and while you lather up when washing your hands. Use a spray bottle to wet your toothbrush before brushing. Also, make sure there are aerators on all of your faucets.
3. Toilet– If it’s yellow let it mellow. When it is time to replace a toilet, purchase a low-volume or dual flush toilet. Or, better yet, a toilet-sink!
4. Laundry– Only use when you have a full load. Hang to dry.
5. Dishwashing– Only use when you have a full load. If you wash by hand, don’t let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other (if you have a two tub sink) with rinse water.
6. Compost– Composting eliminates the need for a garbage disposal (water and energy waster) and adds water-holding organic matter to the soil.
7. Outside– Plant native and drought tolerant plants. Only water your lawn when needed (you can tell when by walking across your lawn – if you leave footprints, it’s time to water).
8. Catching it– While waiting for the water in your shower or sink to get hot, use a large bowl (sink) or bucket (shower) to catch the water. Also, install a rain barrel to collect rainwater from your gutters. Use the collected water to water your plants and/or wash your car.
9. Fixing it– Fix leaky faucets and toilets!
10. Teaching it– Make suggestions to your employer to conserve water at work. Encourage your city and local schools to develop and promote water conservation among children and adults. Share this article with family and friends (and enemies too – we all use the same water)!
Most of you may have realized I slipped more than 20 water saving tips in here.
Hey, it’s that important… and I’m that sneaky.
…Each suggestion is as important as the rest. That is, until we can drink our pee!
See you on the medal stand!
