Blue Living Ideas » Water Conservation

Planting cover crops, trees, and complementary crops in the same field can help retain both water and nutrients in soil. Doing these things can also provide drought protection and help irrigation...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2016/03/06/10-irrigation-tips-better-water-resource-management/

Surface water — like lakes, rivers, and reservoirs — is one major source of our drinking water. Groundwater is another. The surface water comes from precipitation, like rain and melting sn...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2016/03/06/drinking-water-comes/

Over the years of writing for the Important Media Network (and its previous incarnation, Green Options), I have been instantly attracted to good consumer technology products that make the enviro...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2014/11/18/new-smart-sprinkler-promises-save-water-money/

This hydroponic farm in Japan cuts water usage by 99%! The farm occupies an abandoned Sony chip manufacturing facility in Miyagi prefecture, near where the earthquake and tsunami struck the count...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2014/11/07/japan-farming-99-percent-less-water/

I’m still thinking about my 4 Liters Challenge from a few weeks ago – it’s amazing how much we take a resource like water for granted! While a number of things I learned stand out, I consta...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2014/11/05/comes-water-dont-waste-dont/

Back in 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created “WaterSense” as a label for high-efficiency plumbing products that not only use less water, but work as well as “conventional...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2014/10/21/watersense-shower-saves-2900-gallons/

Protect Your Groundwater Day only happens once a year, but it's important to understand how we impact groundwater all year long. According to the National Groundwater Association, 99 percent of a...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2013/09/11/protect-your-groundwater/

If you’re a regular reader of Blue Living Ideas, you’re savvy about your water. But even if you are, and have done a full water audit of your home’s water consumption, you’re likely still...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2013/09/09/water-savings-kit-all-in-one-from-niagara-conservation/

Why waste water?  In many countries, including the United States, water is treated to be clean enough to drink no matter what use it will be put to.  We’ve talked a bit on Blue Living Ideas a...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2013/09/09/why-waste-water/

The last decade has seen U.S. aquifers depleting three times as fast as any time in the preceding century. The post Aquifer Depletion Rate Tripled in the Last Decade appeared first on Blue Liv...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2013/05/22/aquifer-depletion-rate-tripled-in-the-last-decade/

In preparation for the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, the Wyland Foundation and Toyota are sponsoring a National Water Conservation Tour during March and April. The tour aim...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2013/03/06/national-water-conservation-tour/

The city of Aspen, Colorado has a plan to turn waste water into snow for local ski resorts. The post Turning Waste Water into Snow appeared first on Blue Living Ideas .

https://bluelivingideas.com/2013/03/04/turning-waste-water-into-snow/

If you’re thinking of redoing your yard or are starting afresh with a new home, designing your landscape to conserve water may be one of the best decisions you could ever make. The post Prope...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2013/02/28/proper-landscape-design-conserves-water/

Whether you're looking for a last minute gift or simply want to help others in this holiday season, here are five charities that are involved in making sure the waters of the earth stay clean. Al...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2012/12/24/five-charities-for-clean-water/

Water is something we don’t often think about in our daily lives, it’s just there when we need it; whether to have a cold drink when thirsty, turn on the dishwasher, put a load of laundry on ...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2012/12/05/3-things-inside-the-house-that-should-be-removed-to-conserve-water/

The rainwater pillow is a nifty invention that collects rainwater from the roof of a building, then stores it under a deck or another unused horizontal space around the house. The post Rainwate...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2012/10/16/rainwater-pillow/

As the crises surrounding the environment and spending in the U.S. (and the world) begin to enter their crescendo – I believe we haven’t even begun to see the full force of pushback on enviro...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2012/10/09/green-your-water-save-green-with-eco-friendly-plumbing-fixtures/

Saving water is one of the top ways homes are doing their part to help the environment and reduce their carbon footprint. Ecological mothers in particular are teaching their children about the be...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2012/10/08/the-frugal-ecological-mothers-guide-to-quirky-ways-to-save-water/

Over 70% of the earth's surface is covered with water, but only 1% of that is available for human consumption. Conservation matters. The less water we waste, the more water we have when we need i...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2012/09/17/how-much-water-is-your-home-wasting/

More than 1.2 billion gallons of partially treated waste water goes into the Chicago River each day. This infographic from Angel Water Conditioning, Inc. really brings that home. The post Waste...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2012/09/10/waste-water-dumped-into-the-chicago-river/

Chronically insecure individuals sometimes develop hoarding tendencies as a way to gain a sense of control over their environment. Economic uncertainty and global instability have caused many peo...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2012/09/07/water-conservation-for-hoarders/

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average single-family, suburban household uses 260 gallons of water a day, and at least 30% of that water is used for irrigation. At th...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2012/08/14/create-a-rainwater-harvesting-system-for-your-yard/

Blisteringly hot summer days may make you want to jump in the pool, run through the sprinklers, or spray each other with the hose, but there are plenty of ways to conserve water at home, too. T...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2012/07/24/saving-water-at-home-how-to-conserve-water-during-the-heat-of-summer/

With summer heating up quickly, lawns are already getting thirsty. The folks at Trugreen, a lawn service company, sent around a list of tips on how to water your lawn to promote healthy grass and...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2012/06/04/how-to-water-your-lawn/

The Great Lakes isn't the only area in the U.S. facing water shortages. In fact, lately it seems like there are more areas dealing with shortage or drought than not. We all need to change our hab...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2011/10/25/the-groundwater-problem-at-the-great-lakes/

We've talked here before about how hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," threatens clean drinking water, but fracking also requires quite a bit of water to execute. In drought-stricken Texas, loca...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2011/10/24/will-the-texas-drought-put-the-kibbosh-on-fracking/

Atlanta isn't the only area in the U.S. facing extreme drought conditions. Many states in the Southeast and Southwest are having the very same problem. But what can we, as individuals, do to redu...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2011/10/18/atlanta-drought-update-extreme-drought-conditions-and-what-we-can-do/

Saving water directly is an important way to conserve, but did you know that electricity uses billions of gallons of water every year? The post Conserve Water by Conserving Electricity appeare...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2011/10/12/conserve-water-by-conserving-electricity/

A new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters indicates that irrigation raises sea levels. The post Irrigation Raises Sea Levels appeared first on Blue Living Ideas .

https://bluelivingideas.com/2011/10/07/irrigation-raises-sea-levels/

In this video from Maker Faire Bay Area 2011, the folks at Grey Water Action talk about how you can use grey water in your home to rely less on the water grid, or even to disconnect entirely. T...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2011/10/06/greywater-system/

Not everyone can afford a fancy greywater system, but that doesn't mean you can't reuse water in small ways around the house! The post Water Use Quick Tip: Reusing Water in Your Home appeared ...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2011/09/21/water-use-quick-tip-reusing-water-in-your-home/

Water is a valuable resource, and as the population increases, the demand for water rises in lockstep to match. Water conservation is arguably the most important aspect of the field of green plum...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2011/09/02/home-water-savings-audit/

If you live in an older home or apartment, the toilet in your bathroom uses between three to four gallons of water each time you flush.  In fact, your toilet is the “largest daily user of wate...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/10/05/green-home-remodeling-flush-dual-flush-toilets/

Recent hearings for a proposed 340-MW Hualapai Valley Solar Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in western Arizona has brought up water yet again, in a report from Energy Prospects. Arizona’...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/08/24/senator-kyl-cries-crocodile-tears-arizona-solar-water/

When I used to guide backpacking trips, I worked with a guy who pointed out to our group every morning and every night that they had just brushed their teeth without running water. His point was ...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/08/12/stop-the-water-while-using-me/

A test of an ingenious water saving device invented by Lily grower Pieter Hoff, is being undertaken at Robert Mondavi’s vineyard in California’s Napa Valley, and is expected to save the winer...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/06/10/watering-box-biomimicry-recreate-dew/

As potentially the largest natural gas company in the US, with an imminent $41 billion merger with XTO Energy, Exxon Mobil’s cavalier attitude to fracking risk is a concern to some of its share...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/06/04/sow-demands-fracking-risk-accounting-exxonmobil/

The world’s water situation is only going to get more challenging in the coming years. There will be more people a water supply that is increasingly polluted and often distributed with aging in...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/05/26/is-traditional-water-management-the-future/

This week the EPA proposed national regulations to govern the safe management and disposal of coal ash from coal-fired power plants. In 2008, an impoundment full of waste coal ash from the Tennes...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/05/17/epa-regulating-coal-ash/

Water is a finite resource. It may seem abundant when you look at a globe, but the amount of water in the world that can be used for human purposes is not so large. With a real water crisis loomi...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/05/05/raise-price-water-world-bank-oecd/

Robert Glennon is the author of Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What To Do About It. I’m sure the whole book is a good read, but for a snapshot of some of the biggest water issues we...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/04/30/dangerous-biggest-misuses-water/

There is a more than two decade old law in the Philippines requiring the construction of rainwater catchments around the country, but it is seldom enforced. In Cebu City, one of the largest metro...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/04/28/the-politics-of-rainwater-harvesting/

We know that the world is covered in water. Continents are like large islands in the planet’s much more expansive oceans. 75% of the Earth is covered in water. Yet access to clean, fresh drinki...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/04/01/clean-water-human/

When one thinks of nuclear power, images of cooling towers rising into the sky come to mind.  Water is needed in nuclear power production in order to cool the “waste heat” generated and in c...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/03/24/ny-proposes-recycling-cooling-water-nuclear-power-plants/

The Water Footprint Network (WFN) is a Netherlands-based international organization that helps individuals and corporations better understand how and where water is used. Their mission is to prom...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/03/09/water-footprint-network-releases-the-water-footprint-manual/

Washing laundry is a difficult time-consuming task in the developing world, and doing laundry in open streams or lakes can add to water pollution. The task also falls solely on women – 8 hours ...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/03/05/laundry-bicycle-bicilavadora/

Even in water starved California, water is probably our cheapest monthly bill. Because public water utilities are regulated, they have to keep prices low. Yet water utilities have costs for water...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/02/03/pay-water-california/

The backlash over the recent revelation that the 2007 IPCC report included an erroneous alarm that the Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035 has been well-documented. Much of the concern flo...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/02/02/himalayan-glacial-error-leaves-himalayan-water-truth-in-doubt/

Artificial irrigation used to be horizontal. Diverted water has fed generations over the millennia. Now artificial irrigation needs to become vertical as well, as our glaciers recede. The post ...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/01/26/mimicking-nature-man-builds-imitation-glacier/

A team of biologists identified plant enzymes last month that help plants utilize raised levels of carbon dioxide to more efficiently use water. The team, led by biology professor Julian Schroede...

https://bluelivingideas.com/2010/01/05/plants-conserve-44-more-water-with-active-enzyme/