Living in the desert, one quickly learns that water is a gift from the Earth, not a guaranteed resource. Conservation becomes a natural part of every daily task. But, happily, what Arizonans do isn't limited to any specific environment.
- One of the best conservation tools we've found is for the shower. Mark likes short showers, so he's not much of an issue. I, on the other hand, love my showers - long-lasting and hot enough to melt the polish off my toenails. Our solution is a hand-held shower attachment that let's me turn off the water while I'm shampooing and scrubbing. Now, I don't have to rush, but I'm not wasting gallons of water, either.
- Because our drinking water varies in quality between undrinkable and patently toxic, we have a filter on our kitchen faucet. Every time we change the filter, approximately once a month, the instructions require that we run our water for 5 minutes to eliminate excess charcoal.
Rather than letting that water run down the drain - five minutes is a long time - we collect the water and save it to use on plants. (The charcoal keeps the soil refreshed.) Kept in a large pitcher, at room temperature, we don't have to run the water every time a plant needs a drink. And speaking of drinks, we keep a pitcher of filtered water in the fridge - guaranteed cold water, without running the tap until the water gets cold. (Summer in Arizona doesn't really lend itself to cold tap water. Trust me.)
- Dishes are another big water waster, since we have to do them by hand and seem to be at the cool end of the supply in our complex. To save as much water as I can, I do the dishes once a day, rather than after each meal. But, it still requires a lot of water.
I've been reading about tankless hot water heaters, which can be installed at the kitchen sink. Imagine being able to have immediate hot water on demand for rinsing dishes. We wouldn't have to keep the water running to keep it warm, saving heaven only knows how many gallons each time we do this already onerous chore.
- We don't have a yard, so we're not using water outdoors. Our complex, however, insists on having several patches of grass, which regularly require more moisture than we usually see here in a year. In their favor, at least they run the sprinkler system in the middle of the night, rather than the middle of the day when the heat evaporates the water before it gets anywhere near the lawn.
Many schools and businesses around here don't use sprinkler systems. They flood their grounds, which not only wastes water through evaporation, it creates a breeding ground for mosquitoes, not usually found in large numbers in Southern Arizona. If we decide to buy a home in Arizona, Mark and I have already determined that a desert landscape is our perfect choice - no lawn and only plants that naturally survive here, without excessive watering.
No matter where you live, water conservation is much easier than you might think.
DJ
Labels: Non-Fiction, Opinion
Read more: Do You Really Need That Much Water?
