Bathroom Betterment

Earth Days past displayed a disturbing lack of interest or desire to change in students at school; many of them continued to lob barely used notebook paper into the trash can, or if they were feeling extra virtuous that day, would aim it a foot to the left into the recycling bin and loudly proclaim that they did their bit for the day. Though altering your habits takes some effort, it is worth it for the future of the world and does have some added personal benefits.  

 One of the easiest ways to help the Earth is by conserving water, which can be done in a variety of creative and unique ways, right from your very own bathroom. The average person uses around 120 gallons of water per day with 10-20 percent spent just on toilet flushes.  A standard toilet can use 3.5 to 7 gallons of water per flush – by not flushing afterwards, you can save just that much water. A good rule of thumb to go by to keep the situation from escalating into some disgusting swamp in your toilet bowl is “if it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.” However, if even yellow seems off-putting to you, you can add a toilet cleaner tablet that turns your water blue (chemical-free, of course) to end up with a charming shade of green. You can also perform a leak test in your toilet, placing a few drops of food coloring in the tank and waiting a few minutes. If the dye seeps into the toilet bowl, you have a leak and water is being wasted. To decrease the amount of water used in a flush, you can displace some water in the tank by placing inside a water bottle filled partly with rocks and the rest water. This can save another ten gallons or so per day.

While showering, you can place a bucket in front of you and collect extra water to hydrate your plants. Shortening your shower will also help conserve water, and another resourceful method is to do your business in the shower (liquid only, of course). Not only would you save the water flushing the toilet would use, you would be providing yourself with a lovely makeshift bidet, which happens to be very popular in Europe.

 Additional ways to preserve our supply of freshwater is to go meatless a couple of days a week or set up a rain barrel. And estimated 1800-2500 gallons of water (or 515-715 flushes) are used to produce just one pound of beef and by eliminating meat from your diet one or two days a week you can save 3-6 weeks’ worth of water. By collecting runoff water from your gutter or just leaving an open barrel to collect rain, you can create a supply of water to use to water your plants or wash your car with.

Not only will the environment and future generations appreciate your contribution to the environment, your good deeds will manifest in other ways. Lower water bills will add up to substantial savings and you can develop that warm feeling in your chest that do-gooders often experience.

ECO Teen

Let's Not Waste Our Water!

We have been very fortunate to have had the rainfall that we did over the last few weeks, resulting in Lake Lavon rising an astonishing 5 feet in one week. We have also done a terrific job as a community in conserving our resources during the period that water restrictions have gone into effect, resulting in a decrease from 107 million gallons per day of usage in the city down to just over 46 million gallons per day since the middle of August, 2011. As a result of the recent rainfall and our conservation efforts, the City of Plano changed the Stage 3 Watering Restrictions.

Effective April 1, Plano residents are allowed to water landscapes once a week. The watering schedule is an even/odd system based upon the last digit of the service address. Under the new watering schedule, odd addresses can operate irrigation watering (such as sprinklers) on Tuesdays and even addresses can do so on Thursdays. No watering with sprinklers is allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Foundations, new landscaping, first year plantings of shrubs and trees may be watered within a 10-feet radius of their trunk for up to two hours any day by a hand-held hose, a soaker hose or a dedicated zone using a low-flow irrigation system.

However, let's not lose sight of the fact that we must still do all we can to protect one of our most precious resources in North Texas. Inspect your sprinkler system to ensure that the sprinkler heads are functioning properly and are aligned where they should be. During the weeks we have rain, please turn off sprinkler systems. Repair any leaking faucets and any other signs of water leaks around the home. Reduce the amount of water consumed by using more efficient flow control methods in shower stalls and toilets. Maximize the loads of dishware and laundry in your dishwashers and washing machines, respectively.

Let's learn from the experiences over the last several months and continue to treat water as the priceless substance it truly is.

Sincerely,

The Sustainability Steward

Add some Yard Spice

Have you ever considered going native or reducing turf? Seeing the drought we’re in and water use skyrocketing has been a real motivator for me. Using natives instead of plants unadapted to the harsh Texas summers can significantly lower maintenance and worry. That and incorporating more mulched gardens or pebble paths can reduce the hassle of a wilting and water-needy yard.

One of my favorites is Red Yucca. The plant produces vibrant red flowers and an artsy design while being a glutton for punishment—water it too much and you won’t have nice blooms! Now that’s a plant my garden can handle. Complement the stalwart yucca with a classy rock setup around it, and you’ve just created a zen zone of less neediness.

Butterfly mist is another good friend to gardens. It turns out with nice little flowers and packs on the butterflies, all while sipping water rather than guzzling. You can always make room in a forgotten corner of the yard or along a walkway. Simply remove some grass from there and plant this beauty with a few friends. You’re not going to miss the grass. Plus, the plant adds some more color and value to your yard setup.

Consider changing up the yard a little and adding some new flavor. It’s definitely taken my yard space from a boring, water-needy lawn to a more vibrant, satisfying space.

Contributed by: Alex Ransom