Local
Water Saving
Water
is an essential ingredient
for life.
Fresh water
supply is rapidly becoming a
critical issue in many
areas, and with growing
populations and changes
brought about through global
warming, the problem is
steadily worsening.
There is
very little use made of
recycled water, though the
technology to efficiently
and economically reuse waste
water has existed for
decades.
Options
you could consider putting
in your home to conserve
water:
Water
Saving Shower heads
This will also save both water and electricity
by giving the same shower effect using a smaller
quantity of water. The clever design of the head
disperses the water more finely.
Toilet water saving
Toilets use a major proportion of water in most
households. Did you know you are wasting between 8 -
12 litres of water with every flush. Alternatives
include:
1. Collecting water from your shower in a bucket and
using this to fill the cistern
2. Urinating on your compost will save water and
help to activate the compost by adding nitrogen.
3. Build or buy a Human Composting Toilet , See
these websites for more info
ECOSAN
ENVIROLOO
SOLARSAN
Or see the
Humanure Handbook
Re-use Grey Water from
your bath/shower/dishwasher
|
Rainwater Catchment Systems
Although rainwater storage is relatively
expensive, it provides water of a high quality which
can also be used for drinking
|
WATER CONSERVATION ALSO MEANS
BEING
CONSCIOUS OF THE CHEMICALS YOU
PUT INTO THE WATERWAYS
Our consumption habits are
one place where we can all make a difference and help
improve the health of our waterways. Personal products such
as face creams, deodorants, prescription medicines, and
household cleaners work their way down into sewers, storm
drains, and eventually enter our watersheds and drinking
water.
Consumers can easily
substitute less chemically potent substances for daily
grooming and cleaning. A growing organic movement has made
available a variety of such selections.
Worldwide population growth
and consumer spending have increased exponentially in the
last few decades, and the amount of money spent at the
household level has increased by a factor of four since
1960. We must be conscious about what we buy, where our
waste goes, and how we protect our watersheds and estuaries.
Making your home more sustainable does
not have to mean spending thousands on expensive
systems. Flush
toilet only with grey water using the following:
-
2 litre
scoop (recycled pool chemical packaging)
-
15 litre
bucket
-
50 litre
plastic drum.
It works like this:
-
The
shower is above the bath, which is very convenient
but not essential.
-
The
toilet cistern cover is removed and kept off.
-
The tap
for the clean water going into the toilet is closed.
-
Water is
collected by placing the bucket below while
showering, and from the plugged-up bath.
-
The
water in the bucket is poured directly into the
cistern, or poured into the drum (kept in bathroom)
for later use.
-
The drum
is kept in the bath, empty the water out if it
stands for longer than a day (It should not be
stored longer than necessary as bacterial activity
will increase).
-
Use the
scoop to transfer water from the bath to the drum,
or to the bucket for filling the cistern.
-
A normal
shower should give at least 3 flushes (3 x 8 to 12
litres depending on the cistern size).
************
Rod
Tritton, landscaper / tree
expert,
sent in this excellent idea.
Pissing into the wind :)
Environmentally it is
incumbent on us, especially us men with a handy device,
to wee outdoors.
In your own private garden that is.
Seriously, it should be
mandatory, and for a multitude of reasons.
1. Firstly and more obviously
weeing outdoors saves the water used for flushing. This
is a precious resource that costs us nationally and
individually and is
indulgently wasted on toilet flushing. 30% of household
water! 5-10 litres per flush.
2. It also alleviates
the pressure on the sewerage system which costs the
environment, the local authority and ultimately
ourselves.
3. Urine is a valuable
source of organic nitrogen as well as a host of other
micronutrients essential for plant growth. It therefore
reduces our dependence on inorganic fertilizers and the
resultant eutrophication (over-fertilization) of the
environment as they leach into rivers and dams. The
Chinese have been utilizing their effluent on their
fields for centuries and it has worked for them.
4. It gives us an
opportunity to check on our gardens and plants and see
what they need.
5.
And
Spiritually, it gives us the
satisfaction that we are contributing to the environment
and not degrading it which we do with most of our daily
actions. Far from pissing into the wind, weeing outdoors
offers us a brief moment to appreciate nature and
commune with her, offering our “give-away” in a
reciprocal energy exchange which can revitalize our
souls.
A quick hint though.
Don’t wee in the same spot as the plants might start to
burn. Spread your gifts around and you will find, unlike
pissing into the wind, that they come back to you in
other more rewarding ways.
Lots more water saving tips here
