Our summer reading program this year is dedicated to the world's oceans and water supplies. Only about 1% of the world's water is drinkable and every living being needs water. Meanwhile, the Great Lakes account for more than 22% of the world's fresh water supply. It is an incredibly valuable resource that we have been made stewards of by living in the Midwest. It's time we take a look at what we can do to keep it healthy and usable. As such, we are taking a look at some of the things we can do to help take care of our waterways. Every week this summer we will be taking a look at some of the little things we can do to keep our waters clean, healthy, and usable, maintain the ecosystem, and in general do our part to take care of our planet. Let's take a look:
Around the House
You've heard the phrase "Charity begins in the home?" Water conservation does as well. Our first few posts of this series deal in things you can do around the house. We'll look at some easy changes you can put into effect that can have a significant impact on the quality of our drinking water and waterways.
#4 - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
We've probably all heard this at least since grade school if not earlier. It is the chant they started promoting recycling with in the mid '70s and has continued to this day as we see more and more changes to our environment, both good and bad, and work hard towards protecting our planet for future generations. We have a finite amount of resources and space, not to mention the hazards nonbiodegradable plastics can have on the flora and fauna. Not to put a damper on things, but there are an estimated 593,043,485 pounds of plastic pollution float on the ocean's surface as of this year. And that is just one problem we face. With finite amounts of water, and the fact that no living creature can survive without water, even considering the cyclical nature of the water cycle, being conscious of how we utilize water and conserve its use is a serious concern.
So what are some simple things you can do to reduce the amount of waste, reuse what you can, and recycle what you cannot? Let's take a look:
Reduce
The first step, and probably easiest, in this process is reducing water consumption where we can. It can be as simple as turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth or scrubbing your hands, fixing that dripping faucet, scraping food into the bin rather than rinsing it before putting it in the dish washer, keeping drinking water in a jug or bottle in the fridge rather than running the faucet to cool the water down... Any little thing you can do will help in the long run. Also, consider plants that are drought resistant, as they will require less water.
Reuse
This one gets a little more complicated. First, in order to reuse water you have to make sure not to reuse any water that has harmful chemicals (if harsher chemicals such as non-ecologically friendly dish or laundry detergent were involved or human waste, it isn't safe to reuse and should be discarded).
But then we hit our second slight complication: collecting water. Some sites suggest sticking a bucket in the shower to collect the water as it warms up. Seems a little risky to me, but there are other ways. Collecting gently-used dishwater, using a rain barrel, and repurposing unfinished water bottles are just a few ways to collect the water.
Finally, using said safe water, there are a number of purposes you can put it toward. Watering your garden &/or potted plants is an excellent use for that lightly used or leftover water (apply directly to the soil and avoid contact with leaves and stems, seedlings, young plants or root vegetables). I've worked in offices where that is the only way any plants get watered, by collecting the partially consumed water bottles from the week and gifting that water to the plants. They loved it.
Recycle
When it comes to water recycling, there is some merit to things like collecting rainwater for use rather than letting it drain into the sewage system, but it is mostly the same as water reuse otherwise. However there are other areas we can focus on that will help with our water supply. Here is just one area we can help to protect our waters:
As mentioned earlier, we have far too much plastic in our oceans and waterways. The number of plastic bottles alone has for over a decade been enough to stretch to the moon and back, at this point it is probably two round trips for the price of one. Reducing the number we toss, reusing them if possible, and/or recycling them should be considered a priority. An easy starting place is to 1) use the bottles more than once (or switch to a bottle intended for multiple use), thus both reducing their number and reusing them, 2) repurpose them if you don't for something else (I've seen some fun birdfeeders, pencil cases, planters, and dog toys out there for starters), and 3) make sure it is actually recycled once you are well and truly done with them.
Bottom line:
If you change just one habit, it can have a significant impact on our environment. Have fun with it.
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