It’s always good to see cities planning ahead, especially in terms of drought management. Metro Nashville is no exception. On their home page, you will find a draft of their Drought Management Plan, a multi-staged approach to conserving water during especially long dry spells.
This plan advises everything from watering your lawn in the mornings to more aggressive measures like adding a 300% surcharge to the price of water. Reading through the plan, I was glad to see that “public education will continue year-round to promote the wise use and conservation of water.”
As part of this education, I would argue that we need to offer incentives and rebates to encourage people to conserve water. Rainwater harvesting and gray water recycling are just two ways that people can cut their water consumption by 35% or more. After all, the less water we use today the more water we will have tomorrow, come rain or shine.
There’s something about the acoustics of a shower that magnifies raw singing talent and washes away inhibitions. Every morning American Idol rejects all across the country turn into Beyonce or Bono as soon as the water starts to flow.
If you’re going to sing in the shower, try to pick a song like “She Loves You” by The Beatles, not “Terrapin Station” by The Grateful Dead Live from The Garden ‘91. That’s because, when it comes to water conservation, a two-minute pop song is better than a slow, sandwich-laden jam session complete with musical guests and a laser light show.
The graph above (click to enlarge) shows just how much water goes down the drain during a typical shower. The numbers vary, of course, depending on the efficiency of your showerhead. And your musical aspirations.
For more information, visit the Alliance for Water Efficiency.
HARRISBURG, Pa. – A drilling technique that is beginning to unlock staggering quantities of natural gas underneath Appalachia also yields a troubling byproduct: powerfully briny wastewater that can kill fish and give tap water a foul taste and odor.
With fortunes, water quality and cheap energy hanging in the balance, exploration companies, scientists and entrepreneurs are scrambling for an economical way to recycle the wastewater.
“Everybody and his brother is trying to come up with the 11 herbs and spices,” said Nicholas DeMarco, executive director of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association.
Yesterday I attended Chattanooga’s public forum about storm water fees, and I learned exactly how personal this issue remains. People are rightfully concerned about this fee or tax (whatever you want to call it) that can threaten or damage the stability of their business.
Churches, non-profits, retail centers and many small businesses have been hit especially hard, due to the large amount of impervious surfaces on their property. If City Council can’t find a better way to move forward, GreenLink is more than willing to sit down with anyone to discuss how installing one of our rainwater systems can help you earn a credit.
We will examine your current water quality fees, analyze your property’s demands, and then recommend a system that will keep more water on your property (and less in the storm sewers). If we can save you money, we have done our job. If not, we will have at least shared our knowledge about water conservation and met a few good people along the way.
