Water Sustainability

5 Great Water Sustainability Solutions

 

Sustainability is the capacity to endure. In ecology the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time. For humans it is the potential for long-term maintenance of wellbeing, which in turn depends on the wellbeing of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources.   (WIKI)

Let’s look at 5 Great Water Sustainability Solutions. 

Drip Irrigation

Micro irrigation concepts are perhaps the most underutilized new-technologies in the landscape industry. For decades the idea of distributing water efficiently and applying it precisely where it can be consumed by the root of trees and shrubs in the landscape has been a practice used in areas where water is a scarce commodity. I use the word “new“   loosely because the idea has been around since ancient times.   For a full history of drip concepts check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drip_irrigation . Modern Technology started around 1960 with “Netafim” products developed in Israel where water was scarce and new ideas for conservation of water resources were sorely needed. Many products on the market today fill a wide variety of needs and can be tailored for almost any situation. When combined with other landscape water conservation products such as smart controller, soil moisture sensors, weather stations and rain sensors drip irrigation can have a huge impact on many sustainability issues.

Water Out of Thin Air

All of the water in the world is in one of the phases of the natural water cycle in which our environment operates. Atmosphere, rain, ice, runoff, infiltration, groundwater, aquifers, streams, lakes, rivers, oceans, evaporation, evapotranspiration, and back to the atmosphere. All of the available freshwater sources are becoming increasingly difficult to process for human consumption. One new idea has been to condensate the atmospheric (humidity) water source and run it through a series of filters to produce almost pure clean drinking water and to do it on a local, small, point-of-use scale making this available to the average citizen for a personal sustainability solution. Check out this company’s http://www.atmosphericwatertechnologies.com version of this green idea. 

Rainwater Collection

The idea of harvesting rainwater has been around for thousands of years. The use of catchments and cisterns were used in ancient civilizations to provide water sources for families and small communities. It is no surprise that every time regions or countries go through droughts that the inhabitants rush to learn and implement this tried and true technology to collect and store water for their personal use. Usually once the shortage is over people go back to old habits and their desire for cheap and easy, or I should say, consistent provisions. There are many makes, models, and styles of products on the market today that can be configured to fit into almost any conceptual plan imaginable from single family households http://shop.rainbarrelsingeorgia.com/main.sc to large commercial and industrial complexes. http://gawaterharvest.com/ .  

Gray Water

Capturing the water used in the sinks, tubs, showers, and laundry room of you house and divert it to storage for distribution to your landscape is a great way to recycle water and conserve a valuable resource. Gray water systems have been around for years but are still creating great controversy within communities with regard to storage, distribution, plumbing, and odor considerations. It is no small task for an individual to re-plumb their house to divert used water, to store the water, and to set up a distribution system into their landscape. Many states and communities have or are developing rules and regulations for the use of gray water. For a full articulation of the considerations in gray water usage check out the guidelines at http://bit.ly/b96CoW which is the state of Georgia’s.  This solution needs to be considered with a great deal of education and regulatory knowledge of the issues pertaining to health and welfare of the occupants and the community. However, on smaller scales little things can be done around the house which can contribute to this idea. 

Native Drought Tolerant Plants

The use of plant drought native material in landscape is not only smart for the plants but economical in terms of water conservation and money conservation. Using plants that love to live where you live will allow them to thrive in the environment in which they are accustomed. Their maintenance and care is enormously reduced and their health is greatly enhanced. There is an abundance of information today that can guide you in your choice of plant material that have minimal water requirements, that are native to your area, that like the sun or shade, or have maintenance requirements that suit your lifestyle. The idea behind using native plants is that they tend to grow and thrive in the conditions and average rainfall of your community saving large amounts of water.