Archive for the ‘Week 3 Saving Water’ category

Laundry and Water Waste

December 16th, 2009

This post is going back to an earlier task, water waste, because I notice we are indirectly wasting water without even thinking about it.  This comes from this weekend from when I was doing laundry.  I do notice how Ben and I both often times leave clothes on the floor because we are really tired and decide to do it the next day; typically we don’t even pick up the clothing then then.  After a few days of this and tons of animal hair later the clothes end up down the laundry chute to get washed.  I feel like if we can keep our clothes off the floor we will cut down our laundry by a load or a half per week. 

This has been a pet-peeve of mine for a while with Ben, but I noticed that I sometimes leave clothes on the floor too.  I figure if we work together on this issue we can save each other the frustration and also some water from being wasted.  This will also reduce our need to use additional laundry soap so we will also save money on that.  I stopped using fabric softener and dryer sheets because of artificial fragrances.  This ties into this week’s task because we eventually want to cut out all products that use chemicals.  If you have any tips on keeping laundry clean longer, please leave a comment in a comment section below.

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Conserving water – a week in review

November 9th, 2009

The challenge that Ashley assigned to me this week was to become aware of and act on water conservation around the house.  During this past week, I have learned many facts about water conservation and have taken steps that will save 100s of thousands of gallons over the course of my life.   Once again, this blog (along with Ashley) has helped me to learn something about environmentalism, why it is important to be green and steps we can all take to help.  If I can do them with little or no effort, I think most people can do the same.  Come join me in this going green journey!

Probably the biggest change I made this week was the discontinuation of a longtime habit.  I stopped taking two baths a day.  I have to admit, I cannot stop taking baths altogether, but am only showering or bathing once a day now.  I suppose I may occasionally shower twice if I ever find myself Jell-O wrestling or in a spaghetti eating contest, but that has not happened to date.   Basically, I am trying to religiously follow the previous post 5 Super Easy Ways to Conserve 54 Gallons of Water Today!  So far, each of these items have been very easy to follow and think they will be a regular part of my future.

Sure, it has been reported that Americans are using less water today than in 1975, but we can do better.  There are many simple things that we can all do to put a little less strain on the water treatment plants and overall water consumption lifecycle.  Little things like turning off the faucet when you are brushing your teeth can end up making a big difference.

So, as this week closes, I am feeling pretty good with how this whole venture is going.  Not only did I learn how to conserve water, I also learned how to save a few trees by stopping junk mail and also learned about some of the cool green news websites.  Let me know any advice in the comments area below and keep watching for this next week’s task.

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A few interesting water conservation links

November 6th, 2009

This week, guygoesgreen has been focusing on water conservation around the house.  I may not be the greenest guy in the world, but I am learning and already making a positive impact on the world around me.  Today, I am going to highlight some interesting links that I found relating to water.

Tapit – I just recently found this site.   Tapit is a grassroots sort of operation where they are trying to build a network of café’s and locations where people can refill their water bottles.  The network is still relatively small, but I love the idea of helping people find locations to fill water.  This can help reduce the number of plastic bottles that end up in the landfill.

H2OUSE – This gives users a graphical interface where users can select different areas of the house to learn how they can save water.

100 Ways to conserve water – This is a detailed list of things you can do to save water.  There are 100.  J

Enjoy the links, and please let me know if you have any great water resources in the comments area below.

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