Earth Day L.A.: Living Water-Wise in L.A. Workshop

Are you trying to decide what to do on Earth Day that will be meaningful, connect you to your community and help you on the green path beyond this one day of the year?

If so, our sustainability coach Deborah's Earth Day workshop may be up your alley. After all, we're currently in a drought and most of the earth along with most of our own bodies consist of water.

How to Live Water-Wise in Los Angeles

Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

@ All Shades of Green in Silver Lake

Topics this workshop will include:

*History and background of water use in Los Angeles.
*Deeper awareness of the element of WATER, our most precious resource.
*How it moves and flows.
*How to conserve it, re-use it, purify it, and store it.
*How to design a landscape and garden for water conservation. 
*Creative ways to implement water-wise changes in your life.

*Participants will also receive a discount on water-wise products.*

To reserve your space, email creativegreen@hotmail.com or 

call us at the store 323-665 - 7454.

Los Angeles: Conserve!

According to the Environmental News Service (and we can all attest to this by living here), California is in its third year of drought. In fact, reservoir levels are at their lowest since 1978, only a third full. In Los Angeles, we may even be facing a downright water shortage of 12% this summer.

The LADWP is telling us to conserve 24/7 and Mayor Villaraigosa has a twenty year plan to get us back on track, the first phase of which is in place now. Not complying with the new ordinance will even cost you--for every drip over a 15% reduction in your water use, you'll pay a premium rate for from the LADWP.

Here's what we all need to know about from Water Conservation Ordinance:

We CANNOT:

*Use water to wash any hard surfaces such as sidewalks, walkways, driveways
or parking areas, unless flushing is needed to protect health and safety;
*Use water to clean, fill or maintain decorative fountains unless the water is
part of a recirculating system;
*Serve water to customers in eating establishments unless requested;
*Permit leaks from any pipe or fixture to go unrepaired;
*Allow for the washing of a vehicle without using a hose with a self-closing,
shut-off device;
*Permit watering during periods of rain; 
*Irrigate landscaping between the hours of
9 a.m. and 4 p.m.;
*Water outdoors for more than 15 minutes per watering station, 10 minutes for
other irrigation systems;
*Allow runoff onto streets and gutters from excessive watering... 

To take a proactive approach, here are a few ideas for

what we CAN do to conserve this precious resource:

*Fix leaky faucets.

*Use a broom or rake instead of a hose to clean off driveways.

*Take your car to a car wash that assures you it's recycling and treating its water (more on truly CLEAN car washes here).

*Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators (we've got you covered).

*Run only full loads of laundry (cooler water will save energy too, as will sun-drying).

*Turn the faucet off when you brush your teeth. You'll save up to five gallons of water per day, depending on your brushing habits.
*Reduce your shower time--even cutting back one minute will save five to seven gallons of water every time! (We've got the 4-Minute Shower Timer in the store to help you keep your commitment.)
*Most of our water use is outside, so plant drought-tolerant and native plants in your garden that don't need a lot of water to flourish.
*If you have a lawn you can't part with or are growing edible goodies, make sure to water in the early morning or evening before any moisture is lost to evaporation.

Let us know in the comments if you've got any more water-saving wisdom to share!

Speaking of Saving Resources: Water

Eartheasy has 25 ways to help you save 10 gallons of water a day in your home.

And we've got a list of tools to help you as well:

Faucet aerators can reduce your water use by up to a gallon per minute (280 gallons per month)!  And they're easy to install and super inexpensive to boot.  Perfect for kitchen and bathroom sinks.

Evolve showerheads reduce water flow to just a trickle once your shower is the perfect, toasty temperature.  So, if you're doing something else while waiting for the water to warm, you won't waste nearly as much to the pipes.

Showerhead shut off valves are simple and super-savers.  Just flip the switch while you're lathering up or shaving instead of having to mess with the bath fixtures.  Flip again when you need water again--a navy shower made easy.

Smart faucets operate similarly. When you're not pushing a convenient lever, the water flow stops at the sink to give you time to lather your hands with soap.  When you're ready to rinse, you simply lean on that lever again.

Shower timers will keep you on track for your desired water-conserving shower.

Shower buckets can be used to collect water while you're waiting for the stream to get hot enough--instead of going down the drain, it can be used to water the plants!

Time to get saving.