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Six Easy Ways To Save Water In The Drought

Sharon Zhang |
May 26, 2015 | 7:59 a.m. PDT

Contributor

Flickr, Noodles and Beef (Creative Commons)
Flickr, Noodles and Beef (Creative Commons)
Got a case of drought blues? Did Earth Month in April make you feel guilty? If you're not trying to conserve the Earth's resources, then water you doing? Here's six ways to get a head start on our impending, water-less doom:

READ MORE: It May Be Raining, but The Drought's Not Over

1) Know where your water comes from.

Nestle actually has a water bottling plant in the Morongo reservation, which is just northwest of Palm Springs. The extreme irony of this is that they are packaging precious water that should be going to Southern California citizens and shipping it to other places in the US that probably aren't in a four-year drought. The scariest part about this plant is that we don't even know how much water they're using. Avoid Nestle water bottles, and avoid buying water bottle brands that package in SoCal. And, speaking of plastic water bottles, just get a reusable one. It's cheaper, easier and more environmentally friendly.

2) Save the water you use to wash fruits and veggies.

Instead of just letting the water you use to rinse your fruits and veggies go down the drain, put a bowl underneath and use the extra water to water your houseplants or lawn. This also works for when you're running the tap waiting for the water to get to a certain temperature. Your plants will thank you.

READ MORE: Gov. Brown: Drought Should Be Catalyst For A More Sustainable California

3) Turn off the shower when you're lathering or shaving.

This is a simple one that everyone knows about, but for some reason doesn't do (at least, as far as I know). The average shower uses 2.5 gallons per minute. If you spend two minutes scrubbing your body, and three minutes shaving your legs, if you're into that, then you're wasting 12.5 gallons of water! Being slightly chilly while lathering or shaving is worth it in the long run. And while we're talking about turning off the water…

4) Turn off the tap when you're scrubbing a dish or utensil.

Just do it. It'll take you two extra seconds, and every drop matters.

5) Replace your lawn with turf, or xeriscape.

If you have a grass lawn, you can save money and energy by making the switch to turf; if you live in Los Angeles, the Mayor Garcetti has incentivized citizens to do so. If you're up for more of a challenge, you can do some xeriscaping, which is replacing your lawn and plants with plants native to the area only. Xeriscaping eliminates the need to manually water the garden.

6) Pour unwanted drinking water over your unwashed dishes.

You left your water bottle in the car while you were out, and now the water has been sitting there for a while and is gross and warm. Plus, you haven't washed your water bottle in way too long, and you probably shouldn't be drinking the water that's left in there anyway. Just pour the water into an unwashed bowl or pot and use that water to rinse your dishes before washing them.

Of course, following these tips isn't going to magically stop the drought, but they can make a difference. See how much water you can save during your daily routine, and you might be surprised by your impact. If we all work together, we can keep Southern California out of hot water.

Contact Contributor Sharon Zhang here.



 

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