Water Conservation

Water Usage in the United States

Domestic water usage is water that is used for indoor or outdoor use at your own home. This would include things such as your drinking water, doing the laundry, watering the grass, taking a shower, or brushing your teeth. The average American uses 100 gallons of water per day. So where does all of this water go to? Filling a bath tub usually takes about 36 gallons, brushing your teeth takes about 2 gallons per second, and washing clothes usually uses around 25 gallons of water. Throughout the day Americans are using far more water than anyone else in the world, and we are in danger of a water crisis if we continue these practices. Although 70% of the earth, only 1% is meant for use by humans, which shows that water is not an unlimited resource. With population increasing rapidly, and water resources depleting its important to make mindful choices in the way we use utilize this resource. Also, when water reservoir levels start to get low it contributes to higher levels of the human and natural contaminants it contains. The less responsible we are now, will make it even more difficult to fix, or perhaps unfixable later.

So What Can We Do To Conserve?

            The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) helps to conserve water by creating standards that ensure water-efficient products, homes, and services. Although these standards help to save a substantial amount of water every year, it is still important to practice efficient methods in your home as well. Being conservative in your water usage saves you money on your water bill, and many water suppliers are offering incentives for those who use water efficient products. It is to  your benefit, and to the planets, to conserve the water supply! Click HERE to find out how much you would save with water efficient products using this calculator supplied by the EPA and try these simple solutions, provided by the EPA, to start conserving water now:

1.     Check your plumbing and irrigation systems

Fix that leaky faucet or running toilets, it could save 10,000 gallons of water a year

2.     Turn off the water while brushing or shaving

3.     Take showers instead of baths, and get out a little sooner!

4.     Use the dishwasher only when full

5.     Keep a full pitcher of water in the refrigerator, so you don’t have to wait for the tap water to cool

6.     Scrape dishes instead of rinsing

7.     Wash only full loads of laundry

8.     Thaw food overnight in the refrigerator, instead of running cool water over it

Does One Really Matter?

 

By Autumn Huggins

                       

I know that the idea of one person making a difference to the whole can seem like a matter of idealism, but the truth is, it takes a collection of individuals to make the whole. What is my point? If everyone began to see themselves as a piece of the whole pie, they would see that the impact of one is much more important than we may realize.

 The impact of one person affects the household, the impact of a household impacts a town, the impact of a town impacts the state, the impact of the state impacts the country, and the impact of the country…impacts the world. In recognition of this ripple-effect, we must start looking at our impact on the world, not just our personal impact, but that of our home city, state and country.

                       

In a previous post, I focused more on the individual and ways of implementing changes in an effort to decrease our own impact on the environment. Here, I would like to focus on the efforts of one city.

The city of Portland, Oregon has implemented many steps in the attempt to reduce its own impact on the environment.

                             

According to Residential Solid Waste and Recycling Rate Study, provided by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability:

The standard level of residential service in the City of Portland was changed on October 31, 2011 from weekly curbside garbage and recycling collection with every-other-week yard debris collection, to every-other-week garbage collection, with weekly curbside collection of recycling and composting. Households can now add their food scraps to their yard debris containers. Customers also have the option of selecting non-curb service, every-four-weeks service, and/or on call service. The City sets a variable rate schedule based on the size and number of containers and the frequency of collection. Rates are lower for smaller volume containers and - for a given container size - for fewer containers. This variable rate structure gives customers an incentive to reduce the volume of solid waste destined for landfills, by generating less solid waste and by recycling more of their solid waste stream.

As of December 2011, 8.1% of Portland residential customers subscribed to 20-gallon minican service. Overall, 81.1% of the City's residential customers subscribed to 20-gallon minican or cart, 32-gallon can, 35-gallon roll cart, recycling-only, composting and recycling -only, on-call, or every-four-weeks service levels. In 2011, the amount of garbage disposed per household was 1199 pounds, compared to 1697 pounds in 1992. http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/404493

Many of us in Portland may have found this change to our garbage system a nuisance at first, it is clear to see how small changes have big effects!

This is just one change of many we have seen in Oregon as our policies here are becoming an effort to influence other states. Again, it is notable how one can make a difference. One person, one city, one state at a time.

                       

One great tool you can use to identify your own contribution to the environmental crisis is to take a quiz at the website http://myfootprint.org/en/

Next, it may be a good step to understand the impact of your home city and state and how you can make a difference there.

There are also great ideas and resources of information within this blog-spot, offered by the students at Portland State University. This term, we have created a website, in addition to the other wonderful resources previous terms have offered our readers, at http://bestuseoftime.weebly.com/

Resources Mentioned:

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/404493

http://myfootprint.org/en/

http://bestuseoftime.weebly.com/

 

Gas cars are the past

By Mathew Grubb

Just by thinking for a second we can lay down a few key facts about gas vs electric cars. Oil is a natural resource here on earth that when ignited sends destructive emissions to our ozone. But what does that really mean to us?  

"When you are exposed to ozone there are a number of health effects that may follow. These include congestion, chest pains and coughing, but those are some of the more mild symptoms. Your lung capacity could be temporarily or even permanently damaged and you may suffer from bronchitis, emphysema, asthma and heart disease." 

Oil spills are also a huge price we pay. Millions of innocent animals are killed, mutilated, or heavily impacted by human error.  

"When oil starts mixing in water, it can change composition 

and becomes what's known as "mousse". This is a sticky substance 

that clings even more to whatever it comes in contact with. 

Many marine animals don't know to avoid a slick and some fish may

even be attracted to it as it can resemble food."

By choosing to go electric you are doing multiple things.

#1 Saving money
Electricity is much cheaper to utilize than the ever increasing price of gasoline

#2 Doing your part
You are doing your part to help save our beat up ozone and environment by reducing emissions and harmful chemicals into the air.

#3 Investing in our future
By purchasing an electric vehicle you are putting money into future technology that supports sustainable transportation. Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn says 20 percent of its cars by 2020 will be electrics. This number will only increase in future years.  


You have a chance to be a part of the problem or the solution. The choice is yours.


Sources:

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-07-11/news/32636526_1_miev-electric-car-honda-fit-ev

http://www.crudeoilbiz.com/oil-industry-burning.shtml

http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelkanellos/2012/01/11/which-are-better-electric-cars-or-natural-gas-vehicles/

http://www.amsa.gov.au/marine_environment_protection/educational_resources_and_information/teachers/the_effects_of_oil_on_wildlife.asp

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/blogs/164/Effects-of-oil-spills.html

Recycled Gift Ideas Are Great!

By Mathew Grubb

Recycled gifts are such a great Eco-friendly DIY idea with the holidays around the corner! All across the internet there are many ideas and tutorials how to create homemade recycled presents for friends or loved ones. Recycled gifts save money for those on tight budgets as well as put our recycled materials to good use! The recession spawned a national turn towards gift alternatives which are easy on the pocket. You can turn this into a family art project activity for all ages. Popular items often used are bottles, cans, bottle caps, fabric, construction paper, cardboard, and much more. Here are some great recycled gift ideas from YouTube.

 #1 Here is a great news article on creating clothing from unwanted or unused clothing and fabric! This is a fun and artistic way of showing your creative side.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtuFEobOqe4

#2 This is an amazing video on different ways to wrap up gifts. You can use different materials not just limited to paper. Adding photos or designs on your packaging makes for a personal feel good shell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHatlhWE3hQ

#3 Not only are recycled presents great, but also recycled holiday decorations. Here is a quick video tutorial how to use paper to create little trees. All you need is green construction paper, scissors, a pencil, and a spool of thread.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sx0DD1BGHg

#4 This video has some jolly Christmas music with slideshows of different DIY gift ideas. They range from frames decorations, mirrors, cufflinks, bullet art, frames, fabrics, utensils and much more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv1wPdPzZaE

I hope some of these videos spark some interest. There are many fun ideas out there, if you are worried about presents because you are lacking funds this season, recycled gifts might just be right for you!

Go Vegan and Save The World? Well it's a start!

By Morgan Bennette-Eaton: 

Usually when we think of going vegetarian it’s for moral or health purposes.  It has been shown that reducing meat intake and switching to eating more vegetables and grains can reduce the chance of heart disease and help you to shed those pesky extra pounds.  But did you ever think that switching from a meat-based diet could help reduce water consumption and curb climate change? I myself am I meat eater and never even considered being a vegetarian until I found out that one of the most significant contributors to environmental damage is not SUV’s or Aerosol cans, but the process that occurs to get that T-bone steak on to your plate.

While the United States does not eat the most (that title is held by Luxembourg) we do produce the most beef (25%) and third most pork in the world (11%).  There are 17 Billion Livestock in the world; that is about three livestock for every 1 person, and maintaining these livestock can have significant environmental damage on the planet for 3 different reasons: contributes to the depletion of clean drinking water, contributes to the depletion of land, and contributes to climate change.

Water

Living in the US you may not know it but around the world and even here humans are draining water aquifers while water tables and wells are drying up and every time you eat meat you are contributing to the continuing water shortage.  The majority of clean drinking water in the US and in many countries actually goes to livestock production.

·      About 40% of water in the US goes to irrigating crops that feed livestock, where as 13% went to domestic use (flushing toilets, shower, washing cars, etc.)

·      It takes 2,464 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef in California.   That’s about the same amount of water it takes if you took a seven-minute shower every day for six months.

·      It only takes 25 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of wheat

·      On average it takes 990 liters of water to produce 1 liters of milk; drinking milk instead of water requires almost 1000 times as much water.

Land and Soil

Another significant environmental effect of meat production is the effect it has on topsoil and land.  Every year topsoil is lost due to livestock feed production and razing land for the production of more livestock.  Since 1970 more than 90% of Amazon rainforest that has been depleted was due to converting it to land for livestock production and it is also affected here.

·      It is estimated we lose 7 billion tons of topsoil a year; much of this is due to the production of livestock feed crops like corn and soybeans.

·      Soil used for growing these crops are sapped of nutrients and cannot be used for growing crops again for seasons.

·      Most of this topsoil is eroded away.  About 60% of soil that is washed away ends up in rivers, streams, and lakes causing more flooding and contamination to occur due to pesticides and fertilizers present in the soil.

·      Livestock accounts for 70% of all agricultural land and 30% of the land surface of the planet.

Climate

The smell from all that livestock isn’t just unpleasant it is also extremely harmful to the planet.  Livestock give off many harmful gasses like hydrogen sulfide, methane and ammonia that can have irreversible effects on climate change.

·      It takes 11 times more fossil fuels to create one calorie of animal protein than it does 1 calorie of plant protein.

·      In the US animal farms are responsible for 73% of the ammonia released into the air.  Which can react with other gasses in the air and result in repository issues for people as well as contribute to smog and acid rain.

·      The meat industry releases more than 100 million tons of methane gas throughout the world a year; it has been said that methane gas is 21 more times powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

·      Livestock production is responsible for about 18% of all greenhouse emissions per year; that’s about 40% more than all cars, trucks, planes, trains and ships combined.

What Can You Do and How Will it Help?

So think about making a change and going vegetarian for a while, it doesn’t have to be forever but even not eating meat for a month can actually have a significant effect on the environment.  Eat tofu instead of meat and you could reduce your fossil fuel footprint by 11 times and save 260,444 gallons of water a year.  Go to your local butcher or farm and don’t buy meat from super farms that produce meat as they are the key contributors to environmental damage.  Remember that buying that Prius might be helping the environment but a way to do even more is to simply stop eating meat. 

Sources:

http://www.alternet.org/story/137737/13_breathtaking_effects_of_cutting_back_on_meat

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/the-environmental-impact-of-a-meat-based-diet/

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16573-eating-less-meat-could-cut-climate-costs.html

http://www.dailylivestockreport.com/documents/dlr%206-30-2010.pdf

Preventing pollution from killing Salmon

As of 2010, the NOAA currently listed the Salmon and Steelhead populations in the Lower Columbia River as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Despite being endangered, these fish are considered an important part of the economy and the lives of Oregon citizens who view recreational fishing as something that is important to them.  According to the State of Oregon Employment Department, the commercial fishing industry generated $148 million in revenue last year.  Through fish hatchery programs the state continues to ensure there is abundant fishing for everyone each year.

One of the most popular baits for recreational Salmon fishing is using cured Salmon eggs placed around the hook and held on with stretchy thread.  This is designed to mimic loose salmon eggs floating in the stream or river, which is an important part of the diet of Salmon swimming upstream to spawn.  It is also considered an important food source for many other fish and animals.

Unfortunately, many of these eggs are cured with Sodium Sulfate which, according to the Oregon Dept. of fish and game can be toxic  when consumed by juvenile salmon and steelhead. Anglers can help reduce this risk to juvenile fish by doing the following when buying, preparing and fishing cured eggs:

1. Choose eggs and egg cures that meet Oregon guidelines for sodium sulfites. 
2. If you’re making your own cure, consider using borax instead of sodium sulfite.
3. When you’re fishing with cured eggs:
1. Don’t add additional sodium sulfite to already cured eggs
2. Don’t dump unused eggs in the river where they can be eaten by juvenile fish
3. Consider the use of net bags to reduce the likelihood of young fish eating the eggs.

Through these simple yet effective precautions we can help protect Salmon and Steelhead trout from pollution.  This will not only protect the native wild populations, but also on the millions of hatchery fish the state spends taxpayer dollars on providing to ensure a healthy fishery for now and in the future.

Ways to Save Water

Simple tips for using less water at home

by Jeana Malcolm

Fresh water shortages are a problem all over the world, not just in desert regions and developing nations.   As reservoirs and other important water sources begin to dry up and dwindle all over the United States,  it is time to stop taking water for granted and treat it as the precious resource that it is.  The average American uses a staggering 80-100 gallons of water each and every day-- that's 29,200-36,500 gallons of water per person per year! With a population of over 300,000,000, that kind of water usage adds up pretty fast.  Here are some easy ways to lessen your impact:

In the Tub & Shower:

• A full bathtub will contain around 36 gallons of water, so try to ease up on the number of baths you take.  A tub filled halfway will more than suffice for most small children. 
• Change your shower head.  Older models can use up to 6 gallons of water per minute.  Installing a new, low-flow shower head takes only a few minutes, can cost as little as $10, and will save you 4 gallons of water per minute every shower.  
• Try taking shorter showers.  Even using a low-flow shower head, you'll still save 10 gallons of water by reducing your shower time by 5 minutes.

In the Toilet:

• Most toilets in use in the US today are the low-flow variety, and use about 1.6 gallons per flush, compared to pre-1980s models which often required up to 4 gallons per flush.  But there are even more efficient models available.  Australian company Caroma designed a model with two flushing options, one for liquids and the other for solids.  The liquids option uses only 0.8 gallons per flush, an option that could save many gallons of water per day and over $100 on your water bill each year.
• If installing a new toilet isn't an option, try to conserve your flushes for when they're truly needed.  Don't waste a flush on a solitary tissue, or on that spider you found lurking in the shower.

In the sink:

• Remember not to let the water run while you are washing your hands or brushing your teeth.  Newer model bathroom faucets use about a gallon per minute; older ones use up to 2 gallons per minute.  
• If you are hand washing dishes, don't keep the water running while you rinse.  You'll  save over two gallons of water per minute.

In the Washing Machine & Dishwasher:

• When it's time to replace your old washing machine or dishwasher, look for an Energy Star label to help you spot the most efficient models.  An Energy Star certified washer uses only 15 gallons of water per load compared to 23 gallons for a standard model; a certified dishwasher uses less than 5.8 gallons of water per load compared to more than 10 for a standard.  You'll also save a lot of electricity while you're saving all that water.
• Wash only full loads of both clothes and dishes to avoid wasting water.
• Don't pre-rinse your dishes-- you'll waste up to 20 gallons of water!  Invest in some good detergent and just scrape your dishes.  If they will be sitting overnight, use your dishwasher's rinse cycle and use significantly less water (and time!) than you would rinsing by hand.

Outside:

• Avoid using sprinklers as much as possible.  When you do use them, use them only in the early morning when the sun will not evaporate the water as quickly. Set them to run for only a short time, and make sure that you are covering as large an area of your lawn as possible and that none of the water is being directed at the driveway or sidewalk.  Hand water any small areas that are beyond the reach of your sprinkler.
• Keep your grass mowed to a medium-length blade height.  If your grass is too long, it will need more water, and if it is too short, it will require frequent watering.

Sources:

http://www.energystar.gov/

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/qa-home-percapita.html

http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/the-lowdown-on-low-flow-toilets/index.html

http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/