i guess this is more saving energy than saving water, but i am a HUGE fan of line-drying my wash. however, i live in Irvine, and that means: “you dry your clothes in a dryer”.
living in the ultimate “planned city” i suppose means that the plan is a yard that supports lawns rather than clothes
being in bright and sunny Southern CA lends itself to yards. probably one of the best things to do is convert your yard to one of 2 things:
1. a yard that supports native plants: and no golf lawns are not indigenous to the area-sorry. celebrate this gorgeous area by showcasing what really grows here…not only do you SAVE big-time on water (you don’t have to even worry about them once established!), but you start to attract beautiful birds and butterflies (seriously i am not a hippie) to your yard. i have to admit, seeing hummingbirds why having my morning cup of joe is pretty nice for a track home in the middle of Irvine!
these local sources can help you:
Tree of Life Nursery (the best nursery EVER)
2. plant food! lawns are great and all, but wouldn’t you rather enjoy the fruits of your labor with your family & friends? growing your food connects you to your home in a way that sitting on the couch can never do.
buy Food Not Lawns (great starter book) from our store!
National Gardening Association
a project from edible estates!
in my quest to help save the Delta Spelt, i am going to dedicate the next couple of posts to saving water. the following are some really good (if not obvious) tips, and I CHALLENGE ALL THAT READ THIS TO DO THE SAME!….come on- it takes a total of 30 minutes. (taken from American Water & Energy Savers)
Verify that your home is leak-free, because many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year which will add to the cost of water and sewer utilities, or strain your septic system.
Check for toilet tank leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear within 30 minutes. Check the toilet for worn out, corroded or bent parts. Most replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available and easily installed. (Flush as soon as test is done, since food coloring may stain tank.)
If the toilet flush handle frequently sticks in the flush position, letting water run constantly, replace or adjust it.
note: i opted to post items that “check” your home from leaks because we had an incident at the “rat-trap” where 2 toilets were leaking..the bills were almost $300 a month in water!
the past couple of days have been nice: cloudy skies, clean air and most important, some much needed rain.
i am not sure if any of you have noticed, but there have been a number of radio advertisements about conserving water. why do you ask?
recently, a small fish (see below) has become endangered in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a place that Southern CA exports water from (in addition to other places, big surprise!) and according to the LA Times,
endangered = no 
“In a normal water year, [water officials] said, deliveries through the delta could be cut by up to 37% — a loss of enough water to supply upward of 4 million households. Dry years could see smaller cuts, but there would be less water to begin with.”
if we don’t get enough GOOD rainy seasons in the next couple of years and we keep expanding the way we do, be assured in this: high and higher water bills coupled with the depletion of whatever water that we have left (as well as ecosystems that depend on them-no an ecosystem is not the next “upscale living” development project).
this really scares me because i like brushing my teeth, having a nice shower at the end of a long day and having water, at my call to cook and clean my rat-trap.
back in the day, when i didn’t own a business and had a couple extra pennies, i would travel to parts of the world where water (let alone HOT) was a real treat. for most of the planet, water at anytime of day, any amount you want is a luxury that is beyond the latest car model or clothing line. why we choose to waste it like it is here forever is beyond me.
i am sorry if i seem so pessimistic, i really want to help. there are some things that all of us can do that DO make a difference (and save us some pennies for that next trip to a place that has it 10 x worse). the the couple posts will be dedicated to finding some solutions, without living in the Dark Ages.
was given a link to a recent article in the Times concerning Long Beach’s water restrictions because of recent drought & dry weather.
For some reason, i thought we were still carrying on this behavior from the drought we had in 1990 (which personally, i don’t think we are out of), but i guess everyone else thinks that we are so now we are in a water crisis again. what i found most hilarious was how officials think that, “Southern California is in better shape now than during that drought because agencies have been aggressively storing water in recent years in reservoirs, which remain at healthy levels.”
Healthy compared to what, nothing at all? i can’t believe this, i just can’t. our population has been exploding in this state, and with the exception of a couple of years between now and 1990, i can remember a handful of really good rainy seasons. And i can’t imagine that most Californians have been watching their water consumption. We need to stop babying the people in this state, we have it the best out of most on the planet, and i don’t think it is too much to ask for
most of the people on the planet DO NOT have access to fresh water, i think we can start laying off the manicured and useless lawns.
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