Small green thing

We got us a blow up pool this weekend. It says to empty it daily due to health reasons and mosquitoes. We have decided to do it every few days, depending on how dirty it gets. We are going to get a tarp to cover it with since we have all those trees dropping cones and needles. That will hopefully allow us to empty it even less often. But, my little green idea when I emptied it today was to scoop the water out and use it to water all my plants! Now I don't feel so guilty about the pool.

Washing More Dishes by Hand

I've started to wash more dishes by hand. The dishwasher uses more water and electricity than by doing them by hand.

I took the picture to show that just by washing those 3 pots by hand I could put off running the dishwasher another half day or so.

(Thought I'd give you a break from the touchy-feely posts!)

A Solid Argument for Composting

"Kitchen sink disposals require lots of water to operate properly. Start a compost pile as an alternate method of disposing of food waste, instead of using a garbage disposal. Garbage disposals also can add 50 percent to the volume of solids in the sewer system or they can lead to problems with a septic tank."

The above information came from, the Water Information Program in southwestern Colorado. Not exactly a local resource but the web site had some good water saving tips. www.waterinfo.org/conservation-tips

That, along with the reduction I've seen in our garbage waste, solidifys that composting is the right thing to do. For now, just in our yard waste bin.

Watering the Grass

We rent, don't pay for water, and don't water our grass.
Our back yard patch of grass is green and full of life! Yet, we never have to water it.
Which is nice for saving water and all. We did have a leak in the back when we first moved in, but that was fixed long ago.
Our front yard, we don't really water either and the grass stays green, but not as green as the back yard. I personally think I use less water if I water it with the hose, than with the sprinkler system, cause then I won't forget to turn the water off. Our neighbors though, they use the system and water is always running down the street to the sewer system. Wasted water!
And the bad thing about that, is when they put the system on, our water pressure goes way down. Which is a bit frustrating when taking a shower!

Flushing Less...

...and I'm sure you want to hear all about it!

If I wasn't too lazy I'd look up how many gallons it takes to flush a toilet. Anyone know? Anyway, I'll spare you the details, but we've been flusing the toilet a lot less around here. Might be just a little gross, but it's Green!

Time and water saving clean

I'm not sure what anyone else's routine is, but to save time and water, I try to clean the shower while I am in it. I also have a grout brush that I use to scrub without cleaners in between regular cleanings. It's something I have always done since it's what my mom did. I know the time length those of you with babies get to shower is precious and few, so this will either work in your favor or not... depending on how you look at it. :-)

Taking Shorter Showers

This was one area I never thought I'd budge. I LOVE my long hot shower at the end of the day. The other day I read what a difference it would make if everyone made their shower just 1 minute shorter. That, I can do. I set up my shower products in a row and now I just go down the line and silly as it sounds this has helped me to shave off a minute or two. I think I spaced out a lot before inbetween steps (come on you're sleep deprived Mom's too, sometimes it takes a lot to remember what comes after the shampoo!).