Becoming more environmentally conscious for most of us now involves water saving strategies that we may not have considered in the past. Many of us now have water efficient shower heads and time our showers.

Saving water, like any resource we use, can happen at a number of levels depending on both our budget and desire to change our habits. In our everyday lives, water use is generally split between the home and the garden and each have opportunities for reducing our water consumption.

In The Home

• generally reducing water consumption- showerheads, dishwashers, flow reduction on taps...
• collecting rainwater- water tanks
• use of grey water- which can include the treatment and storage of grey water
• waterless / composting toilets

In The Garden

• irrigating and watering efficiently
• grouping plants
• introducing drought tolerant species
• using indigenous plants
• replacing traditional lawn / turf with native grasses
• composting and mulching

The above concepts are known as 'xeriscaping', in a nutshell creating a garden that once established does not need supplemental watering. It is about placing plants which are tolerant to the local climate and grouping like plants together. Xeriscaping is often referred to as drought tolerant landscaping but is not restricted to indigenous plants alone.

Benefits of Water Saving - Home and Garden

The benefits of saving water are

• a significant saving of money on bills
• less time required for maintenance and mowing
• increased populations of native insects and birds
• the reduced effect when water restrictions are tightened as they currently are in Australia

The hidden benefit is saving a precious resource and knowing that we are reducing our own water waste.

Home from Water Saving

Green News

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