We all want to make our contribution to preserving the environment. Here are 11 tips to make our planet more green and sustainable.
1. Get rid of old toilets and get a new, more efficient one. These use much less water and have fewer problems than those old toilets.
2. Don’t wash your car with the hose in the driveway. Instead, take it to an automated car wash if possible. These use less water than you would if you did it yourself. Even if you use the non-automated car wash, you are better off.
3. Keep your water pipes clean. Don’t dump grease and such down the drain. Remember that a lot of water that is used travels through the pipes to the water treatment plant – to be recycled.
4. Turn off the water in your washing machine when it is not in use. This helps to prevent unnoticed leaks. Also, check the fittings once every three to six months and replace them before they spring a leak.
5. Use the lowest water settings on your washing machine and dishwasher. Something just worn once should be worn at least once before it is washed. Furthermore, you save money and water by washing loads of laundry, just like you save by washing loads of dishes.
6. During droughts, your community officials will likely have water usage guidelines. Make sure that you follow these, and if possible, use even less water than is recommended. Remember that when such guidelines are issued, it is an indication that drought has brought on a water shortage in your area. Water is more precious than most of us realize.
7. Set water usage guidelines in your home, even when there isn’t a drought. Limit shower time for each family member to ten minutes. You will be amazed at the money that you save in terms of water bills and fuel or power bills (most people take hot or warm showers).
8. Shower more often than you take a bath. Although the water is running, you will use less. Furthermore, you can turn the water off when soaping, shaving, or shampooing. Never allow water to just run without it being used.
9. Get a shower head that allows for low water flow, but ensure you have great water pressure. You won’t notice any lack of water. If you don’t have great water pressure, call a plumber – or your water department – to find out why.
10. You don’t have to water your lawn at all…but even if you feel the need to, you don’t have to water it every day or more than once a day. It will be just fine, and if it turns a little brown, that’s okay too….it will come alive again when it rains.
11. When you turn on the water, train yourself to see gold or silver instead of water. If you start thinking of “money going down the drain,” you will find that you automatically use less water, which will be reflected on your water bill.
There you go … those eleven surefire green initiatives can significantly impact our planet, so put them to work!