The No-Impact Project - Starting January 3rd

Guthrie and I are signing up to participate in the next round of the No Impact Project. It is the "one week carbon cleanse". It models what NYC writer Colin Beavan did with his family for a year -- slowly look at different aspects of their lives (waste, water, electricity, transportation, etc) and made systematic changes to lower their impact. His book No Impact Man has been turned into a movie with the same name. On his website, he invites you to do the same for one week. The great thing is that it starts on specific dates so that you can connect with others in your area who are doing the same. They make it real easy with a how-to manual on what to do on each day plus interesting facts. Obviously, you do what you can; making any change is a positive one. What Colin found out was that during the course of the year, he lost weight, had more energy, reconnected with his wife, spent more time with his family, and was genuinely happier. Guthrie and I will participate in this to learn some new things that we can incorporate into our lives. 

Join with us -- maybe we can meet up for a candlelit dinner of local food! :)

Peace! 

More on Water Conservation - And, If It's Yellow...

I found this awesome website from National Geographic on water conservation. This is a water footprint calculator. It's simple and the graphics are super cute! You see your water level rise and lower as you answer questions about your water usage. 

I love this excerpt from the website: 

"We live in a watery world, with the average American lifestyle fueled by nearly 2,000 gallons of H2O a day. What may come as a surprise is that very little of that--only five percent--runs through toilets, taps, and garden hoses at home. Nearly 95% of your water footprint is hidden in the food you eat, energy you use, products you buy, and services you rely on."

Did you know the average American showers for 8 minutes? 1,600 gallons are use to produce 1 pound of beef?

One thing the survey asks is: do you flush the toilet when you pee? It's a funny question, but honestly, many people would answer no or sometimes. I finding out there are more people who don't flush when they pee than I thought. Guthrie and I are definitely in the sometimes category (except when company is over or we know the next person isn't around and it will sit there awhile. There is a phrase: if it's yellow, let it mellow. It's like having a dueling flush toilet. :-) If you don't want to let it sit, I usually ask Guthrie after I pee -- do you need to go? Chances are, he does. When he is peeing, I usually think -- man, I need to go, too! and so I shout "don't flush!" Instant water conservation. 

So, after you complete the survey and you want to reduce your water consumption, click here for ways to do it -- though some of it becomes obvious through the survey. 

Peace!

Eleven - Turn Down Your Hot Water Heater

Easy! Saves energy! Saves the environment! Saves money! Saves possible burns! According to the EPA, turning down the thermostat to 120F will save 6-10% of energy costs and slows the mineral buildup and corrosion in your water heater and pipes. Most manufacturers set the thermostat at around 140 degrees, but it is not necessary for the average family. Turn the knob to 120 degrees (low - medium in our case).

Also, turning down your hot water heater could save you (and more importantly, small children) from terrible burns. The water label on our heater downstairs has time/temperature ratios listed for third degree burns:

1 second at 160F

5 seconds at 140F (and to think that's where most of our hot water heaters are at!)

30 seconds at 130F

5 minutes at 120F

Peace!

Nine - Water Conservation

Now that the summer heat is upon us, I think it is the most important time to talk about water conservation. There are some things Guthrie & I are trying to get into the habit of doing to cut back on our water consumption. We all know to turn off the water when brushing our teeth or when shaving, but there are some other things that we don't always thing about. 

When replacing the water for your pet, or getting rid of the last few sips from your cup on your night stand, don't just dump it down the drain. Pour into a houseplant or into a watering can (we have extra's now) to be used to water plants later.

Make sure to always have a full load before starting your dishwasher or laundry. Now with newer washers, you can choose the size of your load; pick the appropriate water level for the load you have. When washing dishes by hand, which we must do now, make sure the water stream is no wider than your thumb (and if you have big thumbs, judge appropriately). If you are scrubbing, turn off the tap. 

Water your yard or garden in the early morning or in the evening. If you water in the hot day-time sun, most of it evaporates before the plants really drink it. 

Here are some water facts from the EPA:

- An average family of four uses 400 gallons of water everyday day!

- Less than 1% of all the water on Earth can be used by people (the rest is salt water or frozen)

- Taking a shower uses much less water than filling a bathtub. A typical shower uses 10-25 gallons and a bath uses up to 70 gallons. 

Tip: If you take a bath (which I LOVE to do once in a while), plug the drain right away and adjust the temp as you go. When showering, time it -- 5 minutes or less. Or, double up with your loved one to conserve water. :)

Here's a link to shower timers on Amazon. Guthrie & I use to have one--I don't actually know what happened to it? I think I dropped it and broke it. But, after using it for a while, I got use to how fast 5 minutes goes by!

Car/bike washing tips - try not to use a hose. Most people just let it run. Make sure you have a bucket to and turn off the hose in between sprayings. Better yet, many car washes are recycling water now. Check with your local car wash to see if they do. 

A leaky toilet could waste about 200 gallons of water everyday! Here's a cool tip to test if your toilet is leaking (again from the EPA website): Put a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If the color shows up in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak!

Finally, he's a tip for conserving water with every flush. If you have a home, hopefully you already have a low-flush toilet. Or better still, a dual-flush toilet. Something I am interested in, though I do not know enough about it to truly recommend it, are dual-flush converter kits. They say they work with any toilet. There might be a later post once we research it more. Alright, enough background, here's the tip to save water every time you flush on those old toilets (good for renters):

1. Fill an old plastic bottle with water and screw on the cap.

2. Tie a string around the top.

3. Place in toilet tank and tape the string to the the tank at the back or side to hide the string. 

The water displacement will lower the amount of water used with each flush. With older toilets, they use too much water as it is. If you find your flushing power is a bit too week, pull the bottle out of the water a bit until you feel you have enough flushing power.

Peace!