share.triangle.com - Conservation contest - Comments

I haven't checked in on this forun in awhile, but

jpo_05_09_07 — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:29:57 -0500

pinestraw is definitely NOT banned in Sanford or towns and cities South of here. We are situated very near to longleaf pine country... they grow in my own yard. Chapel Hill cannot ban homeowners from using straw that has fallen from trees in their own yard. Anyway, you are missing my point which was alternatives to grass and suggestions for drought tolerent varieties.

Recycling water

edgars — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:23:00 -0400

Posted 10-12-07---We need water to bathe and also water to flush the toilets so I’m starting to use our bath water to flush the toilets. Today, I saved our bath and hair washing water in the tub. Using a 16 ounce plastic cup, I dipped the water and poured it into gallon size milk jugs for storage during the day. Then when the toilet needed flushing I poured the water into the toilet bowl which flushes the toilet. I found it not to be a lot of trouble. I think filling milk jugs with bath water is a project that kids would really enjoy doing.

I also put a plastic pan in the kitchen sink and caught the water when rinsing the vegetables and my sticky fingers. I was surprised at how much water I have been letting go down the drain and how many times I wash my hands. I will continue to look for ways to keep water from going down the drain.

Back in the 40’s when we didn’t have plumbing, mainly because we didn’t have electricity in our community, all water had to be brought into the house and carried out. We took sponge baths. Running water was a luxury that we have gotten used to. If we don’t get rain, it may very well become a luxury again.

Next week, I hope to be washing turnip salad for freezing. That will take a lot of water which I will recycle by using it to water my young trees and shrubbery. I’ve been watering them with 5 gallon buckets with a hole punched in the bottom for slow dripping.

edit---I found this web site on using gray water for your plants and shrubbery. Actually, it's good for them. http://www.gardeners.com/Keeps-plants-green-with-gray-water/default/5338.page

edit 10-18-07---After finding the article on using “gray water”, I started saving the dish washing water as well and using it for watering the shrubbery. Our shrubbery, which was beginning to show signs of distress, is looking better already and it’s only been a week.

edit 10-22-07---Saving water has become a challenging adventure for me and I’m getting used to it. When you have a well, you really don’t know how much water you have.

Our car really needed washing and I wanted to wash it by hand before cold weather yet, I did not want to use the water. So I decided to give it a sponge bath. With the car parked under the carport, I gave it a good scrubbing using a small bucket of soapy water and a small bucket of clean rinsing water. No hose needed and no mess was made. I found it to be easier than the usual washing method and it did a good job. When finished, I had a bucket of black water and a bucket of gray water. I pitched it out on the grass. Now that the car shines, I’m almost ashamed to drive it.

edit 10-25-07--- While visiting with our daughter and her family, I challenged our 2 grandchildren, ages 7 & 9, in conserving water. After the bath and hair washing, I asked the first child what could we do with the water rather than let it down the drain. Her suggestion was to bathe her sister in it which sounded like a good idea but sister thought that was gross. They enjoyed scooping it out and putting it in containers for recycling and agreed it was a good idea.

edit 11-1-07 We have one large barrel that catches water running off a small section of our house roof. Usually, an inch of rain will fill it and the recent rainfall filled it to overflowing. We have been using the rain water to help fill the toilet tanks for clean flushing in between pouring the bath water and kitchen water into the toilet bowl for flushing.

With all the effort it has taken to recycle water, I have learned to really appreciate this precious resource. If there ever does come a time when we do not have enough fresh clean water for our necessities, it's going to make life a whole lot different. The times we are in now will be looked as as the good old days.

Pinestraw

marie — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:58:46 -0400

It is my understanding that pine straw has been banned in Chapel Hill because of fire problems, so this may not be a great idea!

newbie experience with a rain barrel

plusaf — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:43:12 -0400

about a week ago, the NCGutterGuy installed a 60-gallon rain barrel behind the playhouse in our back yard and piped the gutters to it. the playhouse is just 10x10 feet, and the first rain event [about .65" in my backyard gauge] filled the one barrel to the top.

i've ordered a second barrel to put next to that one and will run a hose for my wife to keep her beautiful roses healthy between rains. now, if i can scrape up the money for some nice BIG cisterns, the main house's downspouts are already connected to the feeder for 'em!

plusaf
Northwest Raleigh
27613

To save water

robot_b9 — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 20:04:30 -0400

Many buildings and homes have pressure regulators to control the water pressure in the system. If the pressure setting were reduced, say from 40 psi to 35 psi, the flow of water through many water consumers would be reduced.

This would only effect manual water consumers like faucets, outdoor watering spigots and drinking fountains. Automatic devices like washing machines and toilets would not be effected.

This would save a significant amount of water and would be something that would be essentially invisible to people.

dishwashers

retiredteacher — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 16:08:01 -0400

Consumers Union (which publishes Consumer Reports) tested dishwashers against handwashing several years ago and determined that dishwashers actually USE LESS water and electricity than handwashing --- if you wash full loads, not just partial loads. It also helps to scrape the dishes and use the lightest cycle possible, not the Pots And Pans cycle for everything.

washing windows

retiredteacher — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 16:01:09 -0400

Don't wash windows with water. If you must wash, use cheap windshield washer fluid in a spray bottle and wipe with newspaper. Very efficient, and they will sparkle.

watering house plants

retiredteacher — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:59:10 -0400

I water all my houseplants by setting them one at a time into a flat cake pan and adding water (from dehumidifier, shower, bath, etc.). Bottom watering is better for most plants, and there is no waste. As you take each out after the top soil becomes moist, let the excess water drain back into the pan for the next plant.

don't rinse dishes

retiredteacher — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:47:10 -0400

Instead of rinsing dishes, scrape directly onto a piece of newspaper and put into the compost pile. The newspaper will decompose quickly and be good for the soil. If no compost pile, dig a hole and put it directly into your garden or flower bed.

Baths with Epsom Salts

retiredteacher — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:44:37 -0400

If you bathe in Epsom Salts or just take a foot bath with it, save the water for your plants. Epsom salts is great for plants!

saving water for flushing

retiredteacher — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:38:54 -0400

Don't drain the tub after a bath. Set a bucket by the toilet and use bathwater to flush the toilet. One bucketful will do it.

water saving tips

Sharyn Caudell — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 08:42:17 -0400

I use a spatula or paper towel to wipe off dishes before putting them in the dishwasher ( a very water efficient model that runs every 2-3 days)

I use the water from my cats' watering bowls to fill the birdbath. It seems a bit ironic but neither the birds nor the cats have complained.

If you cook pasta in unsalted water, you can use the water on your plants. Salted water can help flush a toilet. Used mopping water can also help flush a toilet.

I use a dishpan to catch water for reuse when I wash vegetables.

I'm an avid garden with extensive flower beds. I'm carefully considering what new plants to add. 'Thirsty' growers are a thing of the past. I'm also saving for cistern to catch a lot of rainwater from the roof.

water saving tips

Visitor — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 08:37:34 -0400

I use either a spatula or a paper towel to wipe off the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. ( which only runs every two to three days and is a very water efficient model).

If you cook pasta without salting the water, you can use it on your plants. If you salt it, you use it to help flush a toilet.

I use the water from my cat's watering bowls to fill the birdbath. Neither the cats nor the birds have complained. It does seem a bit ironic!

I use the dishpan to catch water from washing vegetables.

I am definitely considering very carefully what plants I grow in my extensive flower bed. Thirsty plants are out.

Tipping toward contested conservation

breakPRranks — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:12:33 -0400

Here's a simple tip about conservation contests.

Nothing fuels the flames of success like good old-fashioned competition. And because the surest way to actually conserve water is turning off the tap -- not to mention that usage provides the only reasonably objective and fair means to judge conservation -- I propose that Triangle communities, aligned around neighborhood associations, for example, hold contests (offering appropriate incentives) to see which resident can maintain the lowest per capita water usage (by the meter) over a meaningful period of time.

The commercial sector can apply the same concept where infrastructure brings it together under common conditions, like industrial or research parks and multi-tenant developments (although overall percentage reductions are probably a more equitable measure for comparison in these cases.)

And to demonstrate my readiness to “let the games begin,” I’ll take the personal step of stating for the record that my own water consumption over the last 12 months averaged 33 gallons a day, down 11 percent from the previous period -- a decline I attribute to a low flow shower head -- and a consumption rate 52 percent less than the national per capita average recently published in The N&O. Let's see ya' beat that over at the executive mansion, Mike!

And if anyone is interested, I’ve created some convenient Excel spreadsheets for tracking daily usage from the water meter and from Raleigh's bimonthly utility billings. These can easily be adapted as templates for anyone’s use. Contact me offline and I'll email the file.

Hierarchy of water use / Minimization

Ben Bogardus — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 02:54:07 -0400

All of the suggestions I have read, from collecting water resulting from condensation on air conditioners to using full loads on dishwashers and laundry, have all been proved to save water which would otherwise go to waste. Synthesizing all of these ideas together with the main goal of minimizing water use and maximizing its utility should be the object of any water conservation program, and I am going to attempt to address this issue from a new viewpoint.
The water that is used in a household or building can be divided into groups based on the water purity needed to accomplish certain tasks. For example, the shower and sink should run on fresh water that is taken directly from the grid, and which is usable as drinking water. After its initial use, this water will enter a second level of hierarchy, such as the toilet or a rain barrel (as long as earth safe shampoos and soaps are used). The toilet presents an end to the hierarchy, except with the possible outlet as agricultural waste water to fuel plant growth (with disturbing implications). Nevertheless, the goal is to create this hierarchy, including dishwashers, washers, and any other devices which use water to operate and, with the right products and devices, minimize water use.
This kind theory could be extended to encompass the water use of an entire town. Say that there is no where for the water, after it has surpassed the first hierarchy being sent out from the plant, to go. Then every step that is taken to reuse the water, such as for agriculture or to reclaim and send back, represents another level of hierarchy, and the more of these there are, the less of an impact decreased water supply will have.
All kinds of personal steps can be taken to effectively conserve water use: taking army showers, refraining from watering the lawn (esspecially while evaporation from the surface is highest), or stopping up the sink when rinsing dishes to use that water to soak the next load. But there are other aspects that people rarely think of. For example, the food which we eat uses a lot more water to grow than we use daily. Staggering amounts are needed to produce meat (because of all the wheat and corn that has to be grown) as well as coffee, beer, and other common foods. Dams which allow for recreation and water storage also increase the surface area of water exposed to the sun, which in turn increases evaporation and leads to rapid water loss (in fact, it is estimated that a third of the water that is backed up behind Aswan dam on the Nile River is lost to evaporation, ensuring that the river never makes it to the sea). Random products, such as cosmetics or oil, may require large amounts of water to produce.
A combination of hierarchy of water use in the household as well as a personal commitment, with forward thinking, will be most effective in combatting the drought. Less and more efficient water use, both directly and indirectly as a result of being a knowledgeable consumer, will soon become not a voluntary measure but the responsibility of every citizen in counties labeled 'exceptional drought.'
That being said, if its yellow let it mellow, save water drink beer, and shower with a friend.

Conservation contest

danbarkin — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:34:54 -0400

As the drought gets worse, we want to do our part by seeking out the best water-saving ideas. And we will award a rain barrel for the best one. There are several ways you can participate. You can post your idea here, or you can email the contest judge, Richard Stradling, one of our editors, at richard.stradling@newsobserver.com. Or you can snail mail it to him at 215 S. McDowell St., Raleigh, NC, 27601.

As the drought gets worse, we want to do our part by seeking out the best water-saving ideas. And we will award a rain…