Home |
| Basics It has been
predicted that water, not oil, will be the scarce commodity of the next
hundred years. But already, drought has caused various crises in the
world, and the growing world population and weather changes suggest
water shortages will only get worse. Conserving Water So, what can you do? Plenty, actually. Start by seeing water as a precious resource, something to be conserved. Minimize the water you use to shower, to water lawns, to wash cars and do laundry. If you have the opportunity to replace a toilet, choose a water-saving model. Save some of your dish-rinsing water for your compost pile, which will appreciate it. In the garden, favor drip-irrigation over sprinklers that water weeds and toss much moisture into the air. Put gutter spouts on your house, garage, or shed, and save water into rain-barrels (see the sidebar for an economical source). A basic gutter and spout are easily and economically attached to many structures. And a few inches of rain on a smallish roof can easily generate over a hundred gallons of water for your garden or lawn. Drip Irrigation Once you have some water in rain barrels, you'll want to make use of it. The simplest way is to fill buckets and water trees or plants. A more effective (and easier) approach is to fill a trough or good-sized bucket and use this to drip-irrigate your garden The low pressure provided by gravity or a low-power pump, however, is not enough for soaker hose or drip-irrigation tubing. Such a low or no-power setup requires PVC pipe with holes drilled every foot or two instead of soaker hose or drip-irrigation tubing The pumps listed in the sidebar -- particularly the 1 GPM model, can be driven by a smallish solar panel or set of panels (ideally, providing at least 40 watts in full sun) or a car battery (which can be recharged by a smaller -- say, 15-watt -- solar setup when the pump is off. In any case, water capture and a simple pumping system can provide water for various irrigation schemes during dry spells. Traditional drip irrigation requires a full-power pump or house water-pressure. Drip-irrigation supplies can be found in the sidebar, and a how-to on drip irrigation lives here. |
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