Green, Green, Green, Keep Our Earth Clean

You’ve all heard it before. Turn off the water when you brush. Take shorter
showers. All of the earth saving and water conserving things you’re supposed to do. Question is, do you do them all?

I know that sometimes I don’t, I’m not exactly a saint, but you should at least try
to do some of these things! Just because you’ve heard it so many times doesn’t
mean that you can assume that everybody else in your class or whatever group you’
re in that’s being preached to at that moment will follow this person’s advice!
If you take that for granted, and you decide not to do anything because of it,
then earth is going to eventually die off and we won’t have any water left. And that’s the truth of it, too.

I’m not going to sugar coat it and make it seem better then it really is, because that’s why people aren’t doing anything about it! Here’s your chance to make a change. It’s not like it’s all that hard, really. All you have to do is shave a couple of minutes off you shower (Save 400 gallons!), or turn off the water when you brush your teeth (save a gallon a minute…). If you do that already, then good for you. If you don’t, then get started!

If you aren’t into the more traditional ways of conserving and recycling, here are
some new ones.

In the kitchen:

When washing dishes by hand, don't let
the water run while rinsing.

Fill one sink with wash water and the
other with rinse water.

Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator
instead of running the tap for cold drinks.

Collect the water you use for rinsing
produce and re-use it to water houseplants.

Designate one glass for your drinking
water each day. This will cut down on the
number of times you run your dishwasher.

Don't use running water to thaw food.

Soak your pots and pans instead of letting
the water run while you scrape them clean.

Install an instant water heater on your
kitchen sink so you don't have to let the
water run while it heats up.

Cook food in as little water as possible.

If you accidentally drop ice cubes when
filling your glass from the freezer, don't
throw them in the sink. Drop them in a
houseplant instead.

Run your dishwasher only when it is full.
In the bathroom:

Plug the bathtub before turning the water
on, then adjust the temperature as the tub
fills up.

To save water and time, consider washing
your face while in the shower.

Outdoors:

Use a broom instead of a hose to clean
your driveway or sidewalk.

Check outside for leaky faucets, pipes
and hoses.

Start a compost pile. Using compost
when you plant adds water-holding
organic matter to the soil.

Bathe your pets outdoors in an area in
need of water.

Other Ideas:

Encourage your school to help develop
and promote a water conservation ethic.

Do one thing each day that will save
water. Even if savings are small, every
drop counts.

Turn off the water in the shower to soap
up and wash hair. Then rinse your body
and hair simultaneously!

We want to hear from you! Send in your going green tips and other useful things!