Dr. Karen Bell

Keep Liberty Beautiful

Soon, I will be hitting the five-year mark with Keep Liberty Beautiful as the executive director, and I am amazed at how much I am still learning.

I cannot wait to implement what we learned at the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation Board and Affiliate Retreat last week. I am now making time to read more, which is hard for me to make time to sit still, but I am doing it. This week I came across the website eartheasy.com. On this site, there is so much good information. This week, the ways to conserve water in your home and yard caught my eye.

The website shared many ways to save time and energy around a person’s home while spending less on their water bill.

We must find ways to save the water we use because the water resources are getting smaller yearly. Conserving water can help prevent greenhouse gas emissions associated with treating and distributing water. Using water wisely can save money on utility bills, and water conservation helps prevent water pollution in nearby lakes, rivers, and local watersheds. On the earth easy website, they offer the following tips to save more water indoors and in the yard.

You may have heard me talk about cigarette litter prevention, but did you know you should not put them down in the toilet? Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other tiny bits of trash, you’re wasting gallons of water.

Please put them in the garbage, or better yet, recycle them. Put an inch or two of sand or pebbles inside a plastic bottle to reduce water waste. Fill the bottles with water, screw the lids on, and safely put them away from the operating mechanisms in your toilet tank. You can also buy an inexpensive tank bank or float booster.

This may save 10 or more gallons of water per day. Be sure at least three gallons of water remain in the tank so it will flush properly.

When washing clothes, ensure the washer is fully loaded. With washing machines, avoid the permanent-press cycle, which uses an added five gallons (20 liters) for the extra rinse.

For partial loads, adjust water levels to match the size of the load. The most efficient washing machines use as little as seven gallons per load, compared to a whopping 54 for a traditional washer. A high-efficiency (HE) washer should quickly pay for itself in water and energy savings over its lifetime. New Energy Star-rated washers use 35-50% less water and 50% less energy per load.

Inexpensive water-saving low-flow showerheads or restrictors are accessible for the homeowner to install. Long showers can use five to 10 gallons every unneeded minute. “Low flow” means it uses ess than 2.5 gallons per minute.

One way to reduce water use is to turn off the shower after soaping up, then turn it back on to rinse. A four-minute shower uses approximately 20 to 40 gallons of water.

You may not believe this, but it turns out that washing dishes by hand uses a lot more water than running the dishwasher, even more so if you have a water-conserving model. The EPA estimates that an efficient dishwasher uses half as much water, saving nearly 5,000 gallons yearly. If you like washing dishes by hand, do not leave the water running for rinsing. If you have a double basin, fill one with soapy water and one with rinse water. If using a dishwasher, there is usually no need to pre-rinse the dishes.

Another way to save water is to check faucets and pipes for leaks. A small drip from a worn faucet washer can waste 20 gallons of water daily.

More significant leaks can waste hundreds of gallons. When washing your car, don’t run the hose. Use a pail of soapy water, and rinse when needed. Water your lawn early in the day and only when needed. Also, remember weeds use water, too! If you don’t weed, the garden invaders will take up water meant for your plants. A good mulch layer around your plants conserves soil moisture and helps keep weeds under control.

Finally, it should be noted that installing lowflow aerators, showerheads, tank banks, and other water-saving devices usually is a very simple operation that can be done by homeowners and does not even require the use of tools.

Water conservation at home is one of the most straightforward measures to put in place, and saving water should become part of everyday family practice.

For more information on water conservation, check out https://learn. eartheasy.com/guides/45ways-to-conserve-waterin- the-home-and-yard/ You can also contact Keep Liberty Beautiful at (912) 880- 4888 or klcb@libertycountyga.com.