Be Water and Energy Wise!
This week is National Environmental Education Week (EE Week), the nation’s largest environmental education event held each year the week before Earth Day to inspire environmental learning and stewardship among students and the public. This year’s EE Week theme is “Be Water and Energy Wise,” highlighting the water-energy connection and the importance of conserving both water and energy to protect the planet and reduce costs.
To celebrate EE Week, Earth Gauge will provide daily “Be Water and Energy Wise” tips to share with your audience this week. As an added bonus, if you let us know when you share “Be Water and Energy Wise” tips and how many people you think you reached, the Earth Day Network with count them towards the billion acts of green they are documenting in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
FRIDAY: Be a Water Use Sleuth
Ever wonder how much water you really use around the house? Visit The Field Museum’s Water Calculator to take an in-depth look at your home water use. Make your way through a virtual house, answering questions about your water use and collecting easy water-saving tips. At the end of the exercise, your total score will be compared to the national average household water use, as well as other water calculator users.
Access the calculator here: http://watercalculator.fieldmuseum.org/
THURSDAY: Sprinkler Smarts
A lot of energy and water is required to produce our food – on an average farm, 90 percent of electricity used is for pumping groundwater for irrigation. While home irrigation systems may not use as much energy as agricultural systems, there are still easy, inexpensive ways to save water and energy in your yard and garden:
- Add a rain sensor to your home irrigation system. Rain sensor devices shut-off your sprinklers automatically during rainy weather. They are inexpensive and can be retrofitted to almost any system.
- Give your system a check-up. Look for for broken sprinklers and make adjustments so you are only watering the lawn – not the sidewalk or driveway!
- Learn how to program your home irrigation controller, which will help you avoid overwatering your lawn and garden. Visit the Water Use it Wisely website for tips on programming a variety of home irrigation controllers: http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/outdoor-tips/how-to/timing-is-everything.php.
(Sources: National Environmental Education Week and River Network. 2010. “The Water-Energy Connection.” http://www.eeweek.org/assets/files/water_and_energy/Water_Energy_Student_Facts.pdf; Water Use it Wisely, http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/outdoor-tips/index.php and http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/outdoor-tips/how-to/timing-is-everything.php)
WEDNESDAY: Garden Guzzlers
Nationwide, Americans use more than seven billion gallons of water per day to water lawns and gardens. That’s enough water to fill more than 10,700 Olympic-sized swimming pools! You can reduce your outdoor water use by choosing native, drought-tolerant plants for your yard.
- Water Guzzlers: Plants with dark, glossy, large leaves tend to require more water because more leaf surface area results in greater heat absorption and water loss. Tropical plants with soft, fleshy trunks also require lots of water because they usually have high water content – the banana tree is 90 percent water!
- Water Savers: Look for native plants with small light-colored or silvery leaves and a hairy texture. These plants generally hold on to water and reflect light. Good choices include rosemary, lambs ear and lavender. Also try to choose perennial plants (plants that live for several seasons) rather than annuals. Perennials generally grow longer and deeper root systems that can better withstand drought conditions.
Not sure which plants to choose? Ask your local cooperative extension agent or garden center expert for suggestions.
(Sources: National Geographic Green Guide. “Plants that will suck your yard dry.” http://www.thegreenguide.com/home-garden/garden/drought-resistant-plant; EPA WaterSense program. www.epa.gov/watersense)
TUESDAY: Saving Energy Saves Water
Did you know that an average of two gallons of water is consumed for every killowatt of electricity used in the United States? That means that 170 gallons of water are used to run the clothes dryer, 55 gallons are used to run the computer and 73 gallons are used to run the TV each month in the typical American household. Saving energy saves water. Turn off electric appliances when they aren’t in use, only run the washer and dryer with full loads, and keep your home thermostat at 78 degrees during the warm months to save energy and the water needed to produce it. Added bonus: You’ll save money on your energy bill, too!
(Sources: National Environmental Education Week and River Network. 2010. “The Water-Energy Connection.” http://www.eeweek.org/assets/files/water_and_energy/Water_Energy_Student_Facts.pdf)
MONDAY: Move, Treat, Heat
It takes at least 520 billion killowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity to move, treat and heat water in the United States. That’s equal to 13 percent of the elecricity used in the U.S. each year. Saving water saves energy: If just one percent of U.S. homes replaced older toilets with new, efficient versions, we’d save over 38 billion kWh of electricity per year – enough to power your home and 43,000 others for an entire month!
Get the facts on water-efficient toilets from EPA’s WaterSense program: http://www.epa.gov/watersense/products/toilets.html.
(Sources: National Environmental Education Week and River Network. 2010. “The Water-Energy Connection.” http://www.eeweek.org/assets/files/water_and_energy/Water_Energy_Student_Facts.pdf; US EPA. WaterSense Program, www.epa.gov/watersense)
