The Environment Agency are concerned that if we don’t take steps now, there won’t be enough water for future generations.   And they’re not talking about future generations on far flung shores either, they’re talking about right here on British soil.    The Environment Agency’s chief executive, Dr Paul Leinster, said: “People and businesses need to use less water and wasting water needs to cost a lot more. The proposals in our new strategy cover actions that need to be taken by water companies, Government, regulators, businesses and the public, and we need a joined up approach to this problem to prevent it becoming a crisis.”  The EA are calling for all water to be metered by 2050, but there’s no need to wait 41 years to make the changes.  You can start now, and preserve the earth’s most precious resource for your children and grandchildren. [source: edie]

It’s not difficult when you know how:

1.  Take a bucket into the shower with you and use the water you collect for watering your plants.

2. Switch off the water while you’re soaping yourself in the shower (pretend you’re a sailor).

3. Install water saving taps and shower heads throughout your home.

4. Pick both energy saving and water saving appliances like dishwashers and washing machines to keep the planet and its people smiling.

5. Make sure you only use your dishwasher and washing machines when you have a full load.

Treehugger’s Leonora Oppenheim recently accompanied Ecover and WaterAid on a trip to northern Ethiopia to discover the extent of WaterAid’s work (with funding from Ecover) in helped to bring clean water to many rural people in that area.    Leonora describes the trip as an incredible journey, and the photos taken along the way demonstrate just how important this work is in the lives of the Ethiopian people.  (See the photo’s from the Ecover and WaterAid trip here.)

This should be a lesson to us about just how incredibly important it is for us to conserve clean water supplies and consider the needs of the developing world as we go about our daily lives of abundance in the West.  After all, we are stuck in the middle of what is the worst economic situation in decades, and yet we still have food to eat and clean water flowing from our taps in the comfort of our own homes.  These people are struggling to survive on a much more basic level, and as the planet heats up they are going to find it harder and harder to survive at all.

To celebrate this partnership between Ecover and WaterAid, they are launching a documentary entitled ‘Working with Water’ at the London International Film Festival. Go along and watch on Saturday 4th April at 5.20pm at the British Museum.

I’ve just finished reading an interesting blog post over on Crafting a Green World about whether or not bamboo products are actually green.  To cut a long story short, here’s a summary of the pros and cons offered in the article:

Pros

• Like hemp, bamboo doesn’t require chemical fertilizers and pesticides to grow
• It actively improves the soil that it’s grown in
• It grows fast, because it’s a grass, not a tree
• It requires little water
• It absorbs more CO2 and releases more O2 than many trees

Cons

• Some (but not all) bamboo processors use harsh chemicals to turn the stalks into fibres
• The current demand for bamboo as a “greener” material is cause overharvesting of some species

The fact remains though that if bamboo is not overharvested and is processed in a less chemical manner (which is possible and done by some manufacturers), that it is a greener resource than for example cotton or hardwoods.  And it is a very versatile material, that can be fashioned into nappies, kitchen stuff, furniture, clothes and even coffee filters.

I’d like to introduce you to Natural House Organic Dish Spa, the first ever dish washing liquid to have Soil Association full certification.

It’s made of only organic and natural ingredients, but Natural House says it works every bit as well as non-organic alternatives.    Dish Spa is made from organic saponins, Soil Association-approved natural cleansing agents and organic Lemon Sfumatrice (a gentle de-greaser with a light aroma of lemon zest).  The result is a low foaming,  high-performing product, that reduces the environmental impact of washing up water going down the drain.

While it’s powerful on grease removal, Dish Spa is also gentle on skin, so no need for rubber gloves when you wash with this stuff.  And no need to worry about dishwashing liquid residue on plates and skin, because it’s people friendly and planet friendly.

In this post we’re tackling the water bill.  Reduce usage without pain with these nifty gadgets.

7. Stop flushing it all away

Save half of the water that you’d usually flush away with the easy to install Interflush Toilet water saving device (30 litres per person per day saved).  Or if you absolutely aren’t handy about the home, save 3 litres per flush by putting a Hippo in your cistern.

8. Use greywater to fill your waterbutts when it doesn’t rain

Divert your bath and shower water to your rainwater butt by fitting this simple but ingenious bath water diverter to existing pipes.  Once installed, it is easily controlled from ground level by pull cords.  Make sure you only use biodegradable toiletries if you’re going to water plants with your bath water.
9. Save 70% of the water you use washing your hands and brushing your teeth
For a very small outlay you can save up to 70% of the water that comes out of your taps.   The Water Reduction Spray Magic Unifit simply attaches to existing taps and turns the flow into a spray.  Voila!

Photo credit: thingermejig

1. If you use a tumble dryer, clean out the lint filter and the machine will run way more efficiently. If you want to save even more energy you could give up using the dryer altogether. (Spend £10 on a set of dryer balls to save energy by reducing drying time. They also soften fabrics and reduce creasing, meaning you won’t need to use fabric softener.)

2. Wash you hands in cool water instead of waiting for the tap to run warm and save energy, water, time and money.

3. Freecycle your unwanted stuff instead of putting it in the bin.

4. Boil only the amount of water that you need for that cup of tea. (It’s even easier to do that with an Eco-Kettle. I swear by mine!)

5. Take your own mug along instead of taking a disposable cup when you buy coffee on the way to work in the mornings. (A small investment will buy you a travel mug so that you don’t spill.)

6. Sign up to the Mail Preference Service and cut out junk mail and the wasted paper that goes with it.

7. Read your favourite newspaper online and save trees.

8. Take your own reusable bags to the shops, or just reuse plastic bags that you’ve already got lying around at home.

9. Take a bucket into the shower with you and use the water you collect to give your houseplants a drink.  Water saved!

10. Watch less television.  Switch of the noisy little box in the corner of the room and read, chat, go running or open a bottle of organic wine.

Our thirst for bottled water has increased to over 150 billion litres of water a year. That’s a lot of water being carted about on lorries and a huge number of plastic bottles being produced and then disposed of. If you’re not keen on drinking tap water because of the high levels of chlorine and limescale it contains, you can reduce these dramatically with a BRITA filter.

In the past, there have been issues with the waste, i.e. used filter cartridges, that are associated with using a water filter. The good news is that BRITA are now providing cartridge recycling points at a selection of high street stores. The new MAXTRA cartridges are 100% recyclable and deliver up to 150 litres of BRITA filtered water per cartridge - so one cartridge worth of water is the equivalent to hundreds of empty bottles. You are not only getting less limescale and less chlorine, but less waste too!