Did you know that water-related energy use consumes 19% of California's electricity, 30% of its natural gas, and 88 billion gallons of diesel fuel every year? To reduce your water consumption try some of these tips.
- Set up rain barrels. Here is an article on the benefits and some know-how from MotherJones.com
- Turn off the water if you aren’t actively using it (like when you brush your teeth, shave, or are washing dishes).
- Take shorter showers. Showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs! Using less water in your shower means using less energy to heat the water.
- Stop unseen leaks by reading your meter. A leaking toilet can waste up to 90,000 gallons of water a month. Learn how to read the meter from San Diego’s Water Department.
- Install low-flow shower heads and aerators on your faucets.
- Install and use water efficient landscaping and irrigation methods (for example, plant drought tolerant plants and/or install permeable surfaces and drip irrigation systems).
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Only run your dishwasher when there's a full load and use the energy-saving setting. You can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and save water.
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WaterSense - An EPA Partnership Program provides tips and tricks to save water during peak usage hours
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Reduce Hot Water Use for Energy Savings from the U.S. Dept. of Energy
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Landscaping Water Conservation from the U.S. Dept. of Energy
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H2OUSE Water Saver Home has a list of tips and actions to save water at home from the California Urban Water Conservation Council
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How Green Is Your Garden? With proper planning, native plants and some appropriate actions, homeowners can create carbon-neutral landscapes from the National Wildlife Federation
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Wasting Water is Weird a fun and interactive site full of video clips, tools, tips and a great character named Rip the Drip.