Water
Bottled Water
There's a lot out there on water conservation, but here are a few thoughts. The first is that water is the 21st century's oil, and we see more and more global conflicts over protecting water resources. Water does not merely "recycle itself" as many believe. As growing populations and industry use existing aquifers, they introduce more and more contaminants which in turn require large amounts of chemicals to rehabilitate. More, though, untreated waters are often released by cities into the waterways, especially after storms when existing water systems can no longer handle the increased flow.
Let's work with some basic assumptions: 1) the more water is moved from where it naturally falls, the greater the impact on the environment. 2) So long as communities charge for a resource, rich communities will continue to pay the price. In other words, Americans continue to drive SUVs with higher gas prices because they can. So let's change the thinking.
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Encourage communities to charge for water waste instead of water consumption. The more water leaves the property, the more we are literally pouring money down the drain, so to speak. Which means . . .
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Communities should promote (through rebates, etc.) the use of rain barrels and grey water systems. Grey water is water that has been used once with no significant pollutants added and is then re-used in the same place. For instance, water which goes down a kitchen or bathtub drain can still be used for toilets.
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Think of creating an environment which promotes water to stay and be used well. Environmentalists call this permaculture (or permanent agriculture). Think about permaculture as three distinct kinds of places where we can better use water: landscape, roofscapes, and hardscapes.
Landscape
Building good soil is important to preserving water function. Look at areas where soil can be improved through composting and mulching, a soil that absorbs and holds water well for plants. Can we enrich lawns to a two-foot depth instead of what many construction companies and landscapers do, which is closer to 6" over a clay? Can we select plants natural to the climate area that do all of these: offer shade, promote privacy, improve air quality, and provide food and even medicine? This is a challenge, yet what could we save by doing so? √
Roofscape
Water-catchment systems. Gather the rainwater from the roof. This can be as simple as rain barrels for water for landscape or car washing to more extensive human use systems through cisterns. If we configure a collection system to toilets, then its use can be extended into the winter. √
At the most extensive, we could consider building on the European "vegetable roofs." These are essentially a waterproof membrane with layers of drainage material, soil, and plants. They increase insulation value and improve noise reduction in addition to other benefits. They slow water run-off, act as natural filters for water, and create habitats for birds.
Hardscape
Paved driveways, parking lots, sidewalks, etc. are all water wasters. They create standing water and other problems caused by excess run-off. The goal, then, is to make them permeable. Permeable concrete, for instance, uses less sand and so creates a pebbly, open surface. Block pavers allow water to seep between the bricks and some are solid enough for heavy vehicles. (www.uni-groupusa.org/uni-eco-.htm). There are even grass pavers, concrete pavers with open sections for soil and grass, creating a kind of lawn strip which withstands traffic. "Grasscrete" is another version of this. (www.concretenetwork.com/grasscrete).
Simple Practices
Here are a few faster ideas that you can do:
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Put a bowl in your sink to catch extra flow, drips, etc. to use to water plants. √
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Keep the sink stoppers closed to catch water
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Starting that shower or bathwater is always cold. Catch that first cold water in a bucket.
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Use biodegradable soaps so that water can be re-used in your home.
Fixtures which make sense:
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Foot-operated water fixtures. If you have to manually engage the water, you can't walk away and leave it running.
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Low-flow showerheads.
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On-demand tankless water heaters. Make the water hot as it reaches you, not in storage. (www.boschhotwater.com)
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Low-flow or dual-flushing toilets. www.caroma.com.au or www.environmentalomecenter.com.
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Composting toilets are more extreme for some, but can eliminate sewer hook-ups! www.envirolet.com.
Good Links:
Oasis Design: www.oasisdesign.net
Low-Impact Development: www.lowimpactdevelopment.org.
Also, www.lid-stormwater.net.
Living Systems Design: www.lsdg.net