how can we save water?

Question

i've read somewhere that we're losing water. that in year 2070 or 2090 there will be no freshwater and the average lifespan of a human being will be 36 years. how can we stop this or at least postpone it?

Answer 1

best advice I have heard- Take a shower with a friend. As individuals, we can't do much. The polies who would have us kill our yards fail to recognise (or . at least fail to share with us the fact) that the vast majority of water consumed on this planet is used in manufacturing and by the governments of the world. Still, showering with a friend does have its advantages...

Answer 2

We are not loosing water. We are only growing the population so that the demand for water will exceed the supply. The number 1 way to save water is not have a lawn. Lawn watering uses most of the water at the average home. At least it does at my home! And when there is a water shortage, the city tells us not to water our grass.

And whoever told you that the average lifespan will be 36 years by 2090 is lying. I am sorry, but such BS is offensive!

Answer 3

As an individual there are a number of simple measures that we can all do to save water
1. Fix leaky faucets (Saves 20 gallons per day for every leak stopped.)
2. Install water-saving shower head. (Saves 500 to 800 gallons per month.)
3. Run only full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher. (Saves 300 to 800 gallons per month.)
4. Take shorter showers. (Even a one or two minute reduction can save up to 700 gallons per month.)
5. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks. (Saves 150 gallons or more each time. At once a week, that's more than 600 gallons a month.)

Answer 4

very good elizabeth

here is some more

EFFICIENT WATER USE

IN THE HOUSE
one can connect the sink straight to the toilet sistern and so use the water twice ,first to have a shave and then to flush the toilet
also if you bend the ball valve you can regulate the level of the sistern

and always have your grey water and black water seperate
so that the sink and shower water goes directly into the garden saving on irregation and at the same time ,making the sewage smaller and easier to deal with ,this also goes and iregates the garden but via a sitern of two compartments and a french drain ,on which you plant trees,

ON THE LAND
economic systems of irregation like drip irregation
and design using a lot of stone walls ,that condense water in the night
and planting leafy plants for the same purpose
building wind breaks ,to counter act the drying effects of the wind and farm towards agro forestal ,using as many trees as posible to limit evaporation .using shade nets before we have tree cover

and use MULCH

by cutting down the weeds before they produce seeds and leave them where they fall,they will cover the ground and put even more organic matter on top,you can use saw dust,leaves green or dry,and when you plant make a little space and plant in the mulch.this is the easiest quickest and by far most benificial way(for the quality of you soil)to prepare the land for planting

to prevent weeds from coming all you have to do it turn out the lights,you can even use cardboard or black plastic(this is good for strawberries because they will rot if they touch humid ground,and the bugs can get to them).

mulch is the same principal as compost but it includes the whole garden surface
the top part of the soil where the topsoil is being produced houses a world or microbiotic life.

Mulch is organic material green or dry that covers the ground,the thicker the better the composting process will turn it in to black topsoil

the humidity is preserved underneath and promotes the devellopment of worms(their exists no better compost than their excrements)and a variety of micro biotic life which together with the mulch produce more topsoil.

the mulch also keeps the ground temperature even and guards against the impact of the rain ,which would other wise brings salt to the surfave if on unprotected land

Mulch also prevents the soil from drying out because of the sun and,


WATERHARVESTING

the natural way of nature is to evaporate moisture for clouds and this gets blown to places with less water any way ,what obstruct the clouds from getting to deserts ,tend to be mountains that are in the way,
but generally speaking ,the normal weather patterns spread rain evenly over the planet to balance out the temperatures and humidity.

As far as catching rain is concerned ,we do this all the time ,and have done so already since Babylonian times,and is a part of the more advanced Agriculture,that existed with the Egyptians,Central ,and south American indigenous peoples,and many others ,today we call this water harvesting.

In Permaculture the rule is to harvest water to the point of Zero runoff.
this means that all of the rain that falls on an area is absorbed by the terrain and not a drop leaves it.

by building dams,ponds or swales, with interconecting ditches,
if there are enough of these ;the places ,where before the rain water ran over the ground into the rivers and on to the sea ,(in a matter of hours or days),It now runs into absorbant dams or swales and saturates the ground and eventually reaches subteranean water deposits ,taking many months to do so.
Or it fills up ponds that can be used for Aquaculture.
And so a convex situation that repels water is transformed in a concave ,absorbant one and turning the area in to a sponge.

in Spain and Portugal ,which still display many examples of the conquering Moorish influence,One can find many remnants of Waterharvesting,such as aquaducts and tanks underneath the patios ,which collect the rain water from the roofs ,to be used in dryer times.

in Arabia ,on a large scale ,land has been shaped to catch and lead,rain water into sandy areas or to agricultural lands.sand is almost as good as dams because it absorbs water and holds it.

to find out more about Water harvesting I recomend:
the designers manual by Bil Mollison,which cost about 40 dollars.
and is the best all round book you can get.(tagiari publishing, [e-mail])


some other writers that are on the internet are
david Holmgren
Larry Santoyo
Kirk Hanson

Masanobu Fukuaka has written ,
One-Straw Revolution
The Road Back to Nature
The Natural Way of Farming
http://www.context.org/iclib/ic14/fukuok...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/masanobu_fu...

Simon Henderson
and Bill Molisson.

a representitive of the concept in USA is
Dan Hemenway at [e-mail]
[e-mail]
http://barkingfrogspc.tripod.com/frames....
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/ypc_catalo... Source(s) I am a permaculture consultant for the department of Ecology for the regional government of Guerrero in Mexico


http://spaces.msn.com/byderule

Answer 5

The only way to insure we have enough water is to reduce the demand. The quickest way to reduce demand is to shrink the population. In the dark ages pestilence reduced about 1/3 of the population. Maybe we can hope that some calamity might do the same again

Answer 6

I have a pump in my bathroom and pump the bathwater out to water trees and shrubs.....they're already in dirt so it's not like it's going to hurt them and the soap actually keeps insects at bay........
Also don't run the tap when you are brushing your teeth. Turn it on , then off, then just turn it back on to rinse the brush.
Low flush toilets.
Use dishwasher only when it is full........
Get rid of LAWNS>>>>>>>>>> They require more water than almost any plant on earth.........

Answer 7

Hi there.

It's nice to read that some people actually do care about the world. At the bottom of my answer you can find this website giving you 49 ways to save water.

Hope that helps! =]

Answer 8

1. We all need to use less water.

2. humans and companies need to stop polluting water.

3. We need to stop daming rivers.

4. We need to fight privitization of water. Individuals should not own water, all the plants and animals and people should shre the water.

Answer 9

I think you read another article wrtitten by an environmental lunatic.