The rains that belatedly fell during the past two months haven't made up for last summer's deficit. If this winter turns out to be as dry as the "Old Farmer's Almanac" predicts, northern New England is going to be in serious trouble, waterwise, next summer. Fortunately, there is something we can all do to help.
DES's motto is reduce, reuse, recycle and it applies to a lot more than plastic bottles and aluminum cans. As gardeners, we are comfortably familiar with the elements of that motto. We save seeds and build compost, use old soda bottles as cloches and make newspaper seed starting pots. We utilize soaker hoses to water the garden and mulch to keep that moisture from evaporating. Sadly, that's not enough. A summer of conserving in the garden has come to an end. The air turns chill and it's time to move indoors. Each of us needs to strive to reduce, reuse and recycle water inside as well as out. Here's a list of 10 activities that can significantly reduce you daily household water consumption.
1. Run full loads through dish and clothes washer. Even using the lower water level settings ultimately sends more water down the drain than just waiting until you have a full load. Don't pre-rinse dishes if you can get away with it and unless your clothes are stained or smelly, wear them more than once before washing.
2. Take short showers rather than baths. Even better, shower with your spouse. You might save more than water!
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