Home » Home & Style » Household Tips » Saving Nature

Saving Nature

© Peggy Hoehne

Saving Nature

One can't really talk about nature these days without talking about how to protect and conserve it. Our natural resources are a limited resource. We cannot expect to continue wasting the water, cutting the trees, and mining the minerals without running out of these resources that once seemed so vast.

In the area of the Midwest, USA, that I live it has been a very mild winter. Moisture levels are far below normal. Parts of the East Coast are under a drought watch.

More and more acres of forest are cut every year with out being replaced. The Rainforests have been especially hard hit without any attempt to control the cutting and burning.

Many areas of the world once rich in minerals are now nearly mined out. Developers are going further and further seeking the minerals, gas, and oil we have come to consider essential to our way of life.

Every householder, whether they live in a house or an apartment, whether they own or rent, can help with conserving our natural resources. This isn't a job for 'somebody else' - this is something 'everybody' can do.

In 1900 each person used about 5 gallons of water per day. Today the population has doubled and our water consumption has increased to an average of 62 gallons per day. - Drought Information Center

Don't use running water to thaw food. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or use the defrost setting on your microwave.

Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap for cold drinks.

Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when full. You could save 1,000 gallons a month.

Turn off water while you brush your teeth and save 4 gallons a minute - that's 10,000 gallons a year for a family of four.

Turn the faucet off while cleaning vegetables. Rinse them in the sink with the drain closed or in a pan of water.

Place a bucket in the shower to catch excess water and use this to water plants. The same technique can be used when washing dishes or vegetables in the sink.

Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other similar waste in the trash rather than the toilet.

Nearly 97% of the Earth's water is salt water. Another 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves just 1% as fresh water suitable for farming, recreation, manufacturing, washing, and drinking. - Earth Saving Tips

The copyright of the article Saving Nature in Household Tips is owned by . Permission to republish Saving Nature in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.