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 WATER
LESS
- Fix leaky faucets and toilets (A small leak from
a faucet can waste 50 gallons of water a day and a leaky toilet
can waste 260 gallons a day.)
- Always wash full loads of clothes and dishes.
(Washing machines use 30 to 60 gallons of water for the wash
cycle)
- Install high efficiency showerheads, faucets and
toilets. (High efficiency showerheads, which cost about $15,
can reduce water use by 50%. Water efficient toilets use
50 to 80% less water.)
- Water lawns and gardens in the evening or early
in the morning to avoid excessive evaporation. (On average,
about 35% of household water goes to tending yards)
- Replant your yard with native wildflowers, shrubs,
grasses and groundcovers.(Native plants are less-water intensive
especially in arid climates)
- Use fertilizers and pesticides sparingly and carefully. (Residential
use of pesticides accounts for about 8% of all pesticide applications. Urban
runoff accounts for about 14% of common water pollution and just
over half of that is due to residential use of fertilizers).
SUPPORT WATER WISE PUBLIC
INVESTMENTS Upgrading and repairing infrastructure can reduce
the amount of water wasted in urban areas and allow cities to extend
services to other areas.
- As much as 60 percent of water is lost through
leaky pipes.
- Boston, Massachusetts avoided having to divert
two large rivers to increase its water supply by repairing leaky
pipes and installing water-saving fixtures in public buildings.
- Water treatment plants can be modernized so that
they are more efficient and recycle wastewater for non-drinking
water use.
Conservation
of land can help improve water quality
- Protecting watersheds is less costly than
trying to make polluted water safe for drinking.
- Cities can also treat wastewater more inexpensively
through the use of wetlands.
CHOOSE WATER
WISE FOOD & FARMERS Worldwide, agriculture accounts
for more than 70 percent of freshwater consumption, mainly
for irrigation of agricultural crops. Farmers can make several
changes in how they use irrigation water, such as switching
to drip irrigation, which reduces the amount of water used
by 30-70 percent while increasing crop yields. Another
way to reduce the amount of water used for irrigation is
to adjust our diets
- Seek out and support local farmer's markets. They
reduce the amount of pesticides and fungicides used on
foods that wind up in our water supplies. (Of the 28
most commonly used pesticides, at least 23 are carcinogenic
and wind up in our water supplies).
- Eat less meat (Producing a quarter pound
hamburger requires at least 100 gallons of water) (It
takes 15,000 tons of water to produce a ton of beef,
while a ton of grain only requires 1,000 tons).
PROTECT OUR
WATERWAYS More than half of the world's major rivers
are being seriously depleted and polluted. Sadly much
of the pollution comes from non-point source pollution or
the run-off from individuals. We can change that by:
- Reduce household pollutants by cutting
down and properly disposing of herbicides, pesticides
and cleaning products. Never pour oil, engine
fluids, cleaners or household chemicals into storm drains
or down the sink.
- Always be sure that used motor oil is recycled
or disposed of properly.
- Reduce pollution from cars and trucks. (An
estimated 44 percent of water pollution comes from land-based
pathways. An additional 33 percent is airborne
pollution that is carried by winds)
SUPPORT SMART WATER POLICIES
- Invest in smart water infrastructure and
technologies
- Increase environmental regulations of polluting
industries
- Tell government leaders to fulfill financial
pledges for clean water
- Ensure that water is not treated as a
commodity.
SUPPORT GLOBAL GREEN USA'S WORLD
WATER CAMPAIGN TO INSURE WATER IS NOT A PRIVILEGE, IT'S A
RIGHT! |
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