Life has been busy. Apologies for not posting sooner, but I haven't seemed to have a spare moment to myself lately. As such, the eco-changes around my house have come to a bit of a stand still. I haven't regressed (much) but definitely haven't moved forward.
But with the end of the crazy schedules in sight, it's time to continue down the path of "greenness". I will make a partial habit a full habit with the next eco-change.
Watching DH get our rain barrels ready for installation was exciting. The thought of not having to use city water to nourish my gardens is wonderful. Then I started thinking about my indoor plants. I don't have many, but those I do have are watered using tap water. Why couldn't I find some way to water the plants without turning on the tap?
My children's lunch bags are a great source of recycled water. I send them thermoses every day, filled with water. Sometimes they come home empty, sometimes they are full. Whenever I think of it, I dump their thermoses on the plants. But truthfully, I'm just as likely to grab a glass or jug and fill it from the tap, as I am to use the thermos.
I'm going to take a page out of the rain barrel book, and ALWAYS use recycled or grey water to water the plants. There is the bath water from my kids, their thermoses, water from the dishes, the dog's bowl. The sources are endless. I just have to remember to use them.
it's rained so much around here in western Kentucky that I have gotten out of the habit of capturing the water before it heats up in the shower. thanks for this reminder!
ReplyDeletePasta and vegetable cooking water. And bean soaking water. I no longer use salt in my cooking water, just so I can water my house and balcony plants. Plus the water is full of residual nutrients.
ReplyDeleteI also try to keep the grey water from my washing machine, especially during summer heat waves. I just disconnect the hose from the duct, and let it empty out in a bucket.
When we arrived here in Port Elizabeth, South Africa water conservation took on a new meaning. PE has been going through a drought for the last 4 years. There have been severe restrictions and the cities water resevoirs are at 39% capacity. That's up with the fall rains we've had from 31% a few weeks ago. I love the cooking water idea and I'm glad we brought our water saving shower heads from Ontario when we moved. Now I can have my navy showers easily instead of wasting water with the huge waterfall heads they had in the rental home when we arrived.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Love the new look.
Thanks for the great ideas, ladies.
ReplyDeleteKathy - glad you love the new look. You'll need to let me know if there is anything else you discover that I can add to my water conservation list.
Kudos to this conservation effort! :D To truly conserve water, we should continuously find ways to use it more than once. Just remember to use greywater only on deep-rooted plants. Seedlings and newly replanted plants might not be able to tolerate its alkaline content. ;]
ReplyDelete