Causecast

Tammy‘s tip: Well, it’s no tip. Actually, I would rather hear your tips for the week! E-mail us at TheGreenProject@Causecast.org!

This week is all about water. We have all taken it for granted, letting the water run, or running the dishwasher when there really isn’t anything to wash and even taking those extra-long showers on bitter cold, winter mornings…in L.A., anyways, you get the point. Truth is, water is one of the largest crises of our time. Estimates place around 1.1 billion people have insufficient, inconsistent, and unsafe drinking water supplies. That’s one in six of us. And in 2004 there were 2.2 million deaths related to unsafe drinking water, most being children under the age of five.

So how do we become more water-wise? The best way to start is to find and fix leaks around the house. Switch out your appliances for water-saving devices. That can be anything from faucet aerators to front loading clothes washers. Check your toilets too. High efficiency toilets use 1.28 gallons per flush or less. And third, eat lower on the food chain! That one will be the hardest one for me. I keep saying that I am ready to take on the vegetarian challenge but…on my budget, I already feel like a scavenger, scrounging around the office for scraps! Food Management week…it’s on people. I’m taking on a local-foods, vegetarian diet and hopefully I can stick to it!

Check out local rebate programs!!! Now that’s beyond water-wise…that’s borderline genius. We are all on a budget these days so your local community may offer rebates for buying more efficient appliances, I know Santa Monica does! So go on a [smart] shopping spree!

Luckily, the Causecast HQ is already on its way to being water-wise. We have low-flow toilets and faucet aerators in the bathrooms. We decided to opt for ice trays instead of the ice machine…and we are planning some inventive ways to recycle our office cooler!

Any ideas??

For a little more info you can check out California’s Save Our Water campaign which has some useful tools for offices, homes, and gardens.

You should also check this out if you are working out of Santa Monica. They offer free water efficiency assessments through their Green Business Program!

If you get a chance, you should definitely check out the FLOW documentary this week!

Photo by idreamofdaylight, flickr.