I was taking a walk (to get a break from my monitor) and noticed the maintenance crew had 3+ hoses strung together. Every connection was leaking a significant amount of water. I’d guess 10%. It reminded me of 2 things: 1. I have a pin hole leak in a hose at my house that should be fixed. 2. As a society, we waste a lot of water.
I’m all for major initiatives that decrease energy and water use like solar panels and catching rain water but we seem to forget all the simple fixes. Small corrections like fixing leaks would save us money and reap huge benefits for very little effort.
- Little water leaks that aren’t fixed can amount to a lot. 8,000 gallons per year from a toilette and 52,560 from a water line. – USGS
- A faucet leak at 1 drip per second amounts to 8.64 gallons per day and 3,153 gallons per year. American WaterWorks Drip Calculator
- May 4-10 is water week. I know it seems like there’s a week for everything but it’s a good opportunity to focus on long term changes to reduce your water use.
- Download this PDF on identifying and fixing leaks from savingwater.org.
If you want to reduce your wasted water but don’t want to spend $250 on a plumber, check out these how tos for some common problems.
- Stop a running toilette and save some water.
- Fix a leaky garden hose.
- Save more water by repairing a leaking faucet.
Leave a comment if you know about other solutions for common water leaks.
“The Vulcan Project is a NASA/DOE funded effort under the North American Carbon Program (NACP)to quantify North American fossil fuel carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at space and time scales much finer than has been achieved in the past. The purpose is to aid in quantification of the North American carbon budget, to support inverse estimation of carbon sources and sinks, and to support the demands posed by the launch of the Orbital Carbon Observatory (OCO)scheduled for 2008/2009. The detail and scope of the Vulcan CO2 inventory has also made it a valuable tool for policymakers, demographers and social scientists. “
Watch the video after the break (click read more).
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I’m working on a special project with Texas Trees Foundation and WFAA in Dallas to promote greener living in North Texas. The goal is to encourage people to plant trees on public and private property during the month of April (and year round). Sounds like a great family activity to me.
- Each urban tree with a 50 year life span provides an estimated $273 a year in reduced costs for air conditioning, erosion control, storm water control, air pollution and wildlife shelter. (Source: City of Portland, Oregon)
- Trees improve habitat for endangered fish, migratory birds, and other wildlife.
- An average tree absorbs ten pounds of pollutants from the air each year, including four pounds of ozone and three pounds of particulates.
- City trees are fifteen times more capable of reducing carbon in the atmosphere than rural trees. (Source: ENN “Urban forests make environmental and economic since,” Thursday, April 11, 2002)
Whether you’re in North Texas or elsewhere, do us all a favor and plant a tree.