August- Water
“He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.”
Psalm 104: 10-13
August’s ACTION is conserving water . Commit to one Action each week this month. Contact zerowastechurch@gmail.com for more information.
Let’s ACT together this year to restore the fullness of God’s earth.
For more information on water conservation, see below!
Are you a Church leader looking to initiate this program as part of a zero waste campaign? We will have PDF posters from each of our Monthly Actions, that can be downloaded from our “For Leaders” Resource Page.
Week 1
Turn off the faucet while your brushing teeth – a running tap can waste over 1 1/2 gallons per minute.
Use the leftover water to feed houseplants.
Use a full load in the dishwasher and washing machine.
Wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl rather than under a running tap.
Week 2
Take short showers instead of baths. A four-minute shower uses 20 to 40 gallons of water.
Fix dripping toilets, pipes, and faucets. A dripping faucet can waste thousands of gallons of water in a year.
When washing dishes by hand, don’t leave the water running for rinsing.
Use a watering can or a hose with a trigger nozzle instead of a sprinkler to water the yard.
Week 3
Keep a reusable container of drinking water in the refrigerator.
Install water efficient low flow shower heads.
Recycle grey water for garden use.
Position sprinklers so water lands on lawn or garden and not on paved areas.
Use a bucket and sponge when washing the car rather than a running hose.
Week 4
Landscape your yard with drought resistant native plants.
Mulch plants and trees in your yard.
Purchase water-efficient appliances, such as low-flush toilets and front-loading washers.
Insulate your water pipes with pre-slit pipe insulation.
Don’t overwater your lawn; most lawns only need about 1”inch of water each week.
Resources
Articles:
1. Ashraf, B, Quantifying Anthropogenic Stress on GroundwaterResources, Nature/Scientific Reports, 7, 12910, October 10, 2017.
2. Kummu, M, The world’s road to water scarcity shortage and stress in the 20thcentury and pathways towards sustainability, Nature/Scientific Reports, 6:30495, December 9, 2016.
3. Schesinger, W, Water Use, Translational Ecology, April 4, 2017, http://blogs.nicholas.duke.edu/citizenscientist/water-use/.
4. Walden, M, North Carolina beyond the Connected Age, The Tar Heel State in 2050, Chapter 6, The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC, 2017
5. WakeUP’s Falls Lake Fact Sheet, http://66.147.244.58/~wakeupw3/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/WakeUPs-Falls-Lake-fact-sheet-printable-pdf.pdf
Web Resources:
https://www.epa.gov/watersense/about-watersense
https://www.raleighnc.gov/environment/content/PubUtilAdmin/Articles/WaterConservationAndEfficiency.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/towardzerowasteraleigh/
https://www.care2.com/greenliving/20-ways-to-conserve-water-at-home.html.
http://eartheasy.com/live_water_saving.htm.
https://www.theecologycenter.org/water/
Video:
Water: What You Pay For. https://vimeo.com/133668174
Water conservation tips- how to conserve water at home, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MDLpVHY8LE
Conserve H2O: How to videos, https://www.conserveh2o.org/how-to-videos-water-conservation
Books:
Hren, S & R, The Carbon-Free Home, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, White River Junction, Publishing Company, White River, VT, 2008.
Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. Penguin Books, 2017.
Solomon, S, Water, The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY, 2010.
This is part of our RESTORING GOD’S EARTH, A YEAR OF PERSONAL ACTION program; A monthly guide to help individuals learn the many ways they can help care for God’s creation.