California is experiencing major drought conditions and it’s not getting better. Here in CA, our reservoirs have less water than the norm for the time of year, river levels are low, and we haven’t had much rainfall to counteract the dryness of the past few years. In fact, 2013 was the driest year in recorded history for many parts of California.
A Call for Action
Governor Jerry Brown has declared a drought emergency for the state of California and has asked everyone to cut water use by 20 percent. This isn’t negotiable. It’s not something that you do “if you feel like helping out.” It is absolutely necessary. If we’re going to meet our water needs for the next year, and potentially subsequent years, we have to take steps now. It is our job to take care of our state.
What You Can Do
It doesn’t matter whether you have a one-bedroom apartment or a sprawling mansion, everyone has to do their part to save water. The more you use, the more ways you can save.
Here are some tips on how you can save water from our team at Solar Optimum in Southern California. Every bit counts!
- Remove your lawn and plant California native plants. Avoid a dry lawn by removing it altogether and planting plants that are meant to deal with drought. (just don’t plant in the heat of summer or they’ll die…plant in the fall).
- If you really don’t want to remove your lawn, at least significantly reduce your watering. It won’t look as nice but it will be a big help.
- Install rain barrels underneath your gutters to collect the rainwater we do get. You can use this water for your yard instead of the hose.
- Thaw food in the refrigerator, not with water.
- Install aerators on all faucets to reduce the flow of water.
- Don’t let the water run the entire time while washing dishes. Do all your soaping at once with a bowl of water to wet the sponge, and then rinse all at once.
- Turn water off while you soap your hands or face and while you’re brushing your teeth. Plug the sink to rinse your razor instead of running the faucet, it can save up to 300 gallons per year!
- Only wash full loads of laundry.
- If you have to water your yard, do it early in the morning or in the early evening to avoid wasting water to evaporation.
- Don’t hose down your driveway. Use a broom. We know it’s more work, but since when is that a bad thing?
- dd mulch around trees and plants to reduce moisture loss from the soil.
- Take short showers, no baths, and try to shower every other day, unless special circumstances require that you shower daily.
- Never dump old water or ice cubes that have fallen on the ground into the sink. Give it to a plant.
Committed to the Environment
These are just some of the ways you can save water. While it’s very important to do so during drought, we want to emphasize that these are good water conservation practices to continue all the time. Water is a precious resource that we can’t afford to take advantage of. For more information about the California drought and other ways you can save water, visit http://saveourwater.com/.
