Blog

Think you’ve done everything possible to save water but still looking for ways to do more?  Are you a “gadget person” who likes to tinker with technology, from the simple to the complex?  You might be surprised to learn that there’s even more ways to save water by looking into new technologies.

The Water – Use It Wisely Web site, www.wateruseitwisely.com has a listing of innovative technologies that can help you conserve water and ultimately save money.  Following are a few ideas you may not have thought of before.

• Humidity Moisture Sensing and Control Products – Humidity moisture sensors override irrigation controllers when the humidity is at a high enough level, indicating that there’s no need to irrigate.

• Drip Stop Valves – These offer a permanent replacement to the old-fashioned rubber washers used in most compression faucets.  By stopping leaks, this saves millions of acre-feet of water each year.

• Rain Barrels –Rain harvesting is a simple concept.  Simply divert water from gutters into a mosquito-proof storage tank for future use.  Then, when you need water for non-edible purposes, recycle your rain water! 

• Surface Flow – Such systems are ideally suited for turf irrigation where runoff is an issue.  The technology takes advantage of the “wicking” action common to straw, sponges and other porous materials.  A single point of watering spreads out across the turf.  This leads to higher distribution efficiency, reduces water requirements by 25 to 40 percent and virtually eliminates water runoff.

• Smart Controllers — Large commercial water users use sophisticated equipment, complex scientific instruments and detailed calculations to fine tune their irrigation systems to supply only the water needed.  Like these advanced commercial systems, smart controllers take key weather data and combine it with basic site and sprinkler system information to calculate the exact amount of water needed to irrigate your landscape. 

• Aquazerve – This system operates off of pressure developed by your existing pool filtration system. The unit is mounted on the return line of your pool system, directly after your pool filter. The water is pressurized by the pool pump and delivered to irrigation through 1/4″ tubing.  The water savings is the amount of water you would normally discharge to waste during the draining process.

For more water saving tips, visit www.wateruseitwisely.com.  There, you can also take a user-friendly home family water audit and sign-up to receive a monthly water saving tip to remind you of your resolution and to keep you conserving all year long.  

Two years into an ambitious five-year plan to improve energy-efficiency, recycling rates and greenhouse-gas emissions, Boeing has completed a project expected to save 870,000 gallons of water annually. Trying to save this much water across 23 buildings in Southern California is no easy task and we applaud the steps they took to make it happen. 

Boeing partnered with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to install motion-activated faucets and water-saving toilets throughout their 23 El Segundo facilities. Even before the five-year plan took effect in 2007, Boeing has worked to reduce its environmental impact. Since 2002, Boeing has reduced its water consumption by 29 percent at all U.S. operations facilities. Not bad. But their outlook for the future is even better. 

Craig Cooing is VP and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems and we’re impressed with the way he’s handling the announcement. “This accomplishment demonstrates our commitment to operational efficiency and environmental stewardship, but we have more work to do to further reduce our impact on the environment.”

Kudos Craig! Environmental accomplishments need to be celebrated but then we need to immediately ask what’s next or can we do more? We’re happy to see Boeing doing this and we hope more follow in their foot steps.

Arizona Partners include from left to right, Jo Cook - AMWUA, Sandra Rode - Goodyear, Cheryl Penner - Intern with Peoria, Carol Ward-Morris - AMWUA, Mary Lu Nunley - Phoenix, Jo Miller - Glendale, Leeann Spahos - Peoria, Rhonda Humbles - Peoria, Eric Braun - Gilbert, Cathy Rymer - Chandler, Sally Ceccarelli-Wolf - Arizona American Water, Donna DiFrancesco - Mesa, Karen Collins - SRP, Lynne Fisher - Bureau of Reclamation

It’s our tenth anniversary at Water – Use It Wisely and we’re celebrating with a makeover. Over the course of ten years we’ve grown from an idea founded in Metro Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa AZ to a worldwide movement with over 400 partners. Along the way we’ve learned some valuable lessons. The most valuable of which is that our success hinges on you. Our cause depends on you getting involved and spreading the message. So, to celebrate, and to continue in our mission, we’ve made getting involved easier than ever. 

Here are ten ways you can get involved in the campaign right now…

1.) Get the latest news and join the movement directly by reading, sharing and commenting on the Water – Use It Wisely blog. 

2.) Teachers can instantly download and print free flash cards for use in the classroom. The cards are a fun way to educate students on the importance of conserving water. 

3.) Become part of the global Water – Use It Wisely community on Facebook. Become a Fan, recruit your friends and join in the conversation.

4.) Learn new ways to conserve everyday by following us on Twitter. Receive daily water tips that keep you informed on simple ways to save water. 

5.) See for yourself the impact Water – Use It Wisely is having by viewing our photos on Flickr and watching videos on YouTube. Just watch or comment, share and upload your own. 

6.) Receive our regular E-newsletter and stay current on all the information that will help you in your conservation efforts. 

7.) Increase your brand recognition by connecting it with Water – Use It Wisely. Instantly download the logo directly to your website or social network. 

8.) Make an immediate impact and start saving today by accessing over 100 water-saving tips and tricks in the “100 + Ways to Conserve” section of the website.  Start yourself, then share with family and friends.

9.) Educate the next generation of conservationists by playing the “Tip-Tank” children’s game. Match the water-saving devices to teach kids that simple things can make a big difference.

10.) Build your own campaign instantly and affordably by visiting the online store. Start big or download and print a print ad for as low as $35.

**First, a note to say we’re not asking you to stop drinking coffee. We certainly aren’t going to!**

Did you get coffee from your favorite coffee shop this morning? Did you put milk and sugar in it? Did it have a plastic lid? A sleeve?

If you answered yes to any of these (like I did), then please read Brian Merchant’s illuminating post, “How many gallons of water does it take to make your latte?” I’ll certainly make the changes he recommends. Little things can accumulate to massive water waste, but doing little things can also add up to huge savings.

It may not seem like much.  But the water you save by turning off that faucet when brushing your teeth or by taking a slightly shorter shower, can lead to hundreds, and even thousands, of gallons (and dollars!) saved in the long run.  

During the month of February, Water – Use it Wisely is highlighting the sometimes surprising ways you can save water.  Visit www.wateruseitwisely.com for ideas on ways you and your family can save water in your home each day.  Remember – there are a number of ways to save water and they all start with you!

For homes built after 1992, toilets use about 1.6 gallons per flush and can account for an astonishing 26 percent of indoor water use.  A running faucet goes through about 2.2 gallons each minute.  

And, showerheads use about 2.5 gallons per minute.  Knowing that, it’s a simple calculation to determine how much water you can save by minimizing the water you flush or let run down the drain.

At Water – Use it Wisely we’ve been dedicated to providing people simple tips and tricks to save water. But we got to thinking that it shouldn’t just be us providing tips. Undoubtedly, there are some of you out there that have discovered some creative ways to save water that we haven’t even dreamed of yet.

So we’re asking for help. Share your best water-saving tips with us and the world on our Facebook page. Why not make it fun too. Take a quick video of yourself in water-saving action, snap a few photos, or just send us a note. We’ll do our best to make sure your tip is heard around the world.

Start 2009 out the right way by saving water and money. Water – Use it Wisely can help with an interactive home water audit that is so user-friendly, the whole family can get in on the fun, while learning more about water conservation.

To get started, visit www.wateruseitwisely.com and click on the family water audit. Figure out how much water you’re using and commit to cutting back your water usage by 10 percent. Check out the helpful 12-month Water Planner also at the site to help with tips for conserving water throughout the year.

• For starters, here are some basic things every household can do to save water.
• When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
•  Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full and you could save 1,000 gallons a month.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap for cold drinks, so that every drop goes down you, not the drain.
• Wash your produce in the sink or a pan that is partially filled with water instead of running water from the tap.
• Collect the water you use for rinsing produce and reuse it to water houseplants.
• When you clean your fish tank, use the water you’ve drained on your plants. The water is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, providing you with a free and effective fertilizer.
• Teach your children to turn the faucets off tightly after each use.
• Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and save four gallons a minute. That’s 200 gallons a week for a family of four.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and/or sidewalk.
• Do one thing each day that will save water. Even if savings are small, every drop counts.

For more water saving tips, visit www.wateruseitwisely.com.
There, you can also sign-up to receive a monthly water saving tip to remind you of your resolution and to keep you conserving all year long.

Stuffed toys are a holiday gifting staple famous for causing UFC-style fights around store shelves. This year, instead of getting wrapped up in the frenzy to get the last poorly manufactured fad, why not go the more unique and environmentally friendly route?

Idbids are handcrafted stuffed toys that teach parents and children about the importance of environmental stewardship. Our personal favorite is “Waverly,” an idbid whose mission it is to spread the word about water conservation. 

Waverly comes with a photographic storybook, field guide that provides simple conservation activities, and a backpack to keep track of all your efforts. Of course, all idbid materials, including Waverly himself are made with recycled and eco-friendly materials. 

Pick up your idbid here.

Earlier in the week we recommended an ergonomic broom as a perfect water-saving gift.  It’s a great way to replace the water wasted when hosing down a garage, driveway or porch.  But we’re nothing at Water – Use It Wisely if not realists and we know there are times when nothing replaces a hose. There’s something about the steady stream flowing from a hose that is both soothing and powerful (surely Freud would have a good explanation for this). 

The problem is that many of us don’t realize just how much water is wasted with a hose.  Forget the typical overuse, the leaks and arrant sprays that are enough to make even a modest water conservationist squirm. So, for those insistent on using a hose, we’d like to recommend the WaterWatch meter as the next in our series of water-saving holiday gifts. 

After being easily screwed onto the end of your hose, the WaterWatch meter shows you exactly how much water you are using. Aside from keeping us accountable in our water conservation efforts, the WaterWatch meter has many other beneficial uses including:

• Measure how much water to add to your RV water tanks
• Accurately and quickly measure water for mixing fertilizers
• Track the amount of water used when washing the car

So we’d like to encourage all you “hoser’s” out there to pick up your WaterWatch meter this holiday season.  

To purchase your WaterWatch meter visit the eartheasy.com store here.

It’s likely the last time any of us spent any time caring about boiling water we were in our high school chemistry class laughing at our friend’s safety goggles and giggling about the word beaker.  Since then the boiling of water has been an after thought, reserved for such delicacies as macaroni and cheese and ramen noodles.  But the truth is that unless you’re meticulously measuring the amount of water boiled, you’re probably using far more water than necessary. 

Enter the Eco Kettle – a water storage and preparation device that ensures only the necessary amount of water is measured and boiled. The patented “dual chamber system holds 1.5 liters ready for use that is released into a separate chamber when an amount is entered on the measuring button.  All it takes is filling it up, deciding how much water to boil, pushing a button and wah lah! Any amount from one cup to full capacity instantly measured and boiled. 

Anyone from gourmet chef to dorm room amateur can benefit from the Eco Kettle.  And by pressing a few buttons to measure their water use, they’re helping all of us in the necessary effort to conserve water.

Pick up your Eco Kettle at ecokettle.com.