Are we, as Georgia residents, changing our habits due to drought conditions? Will the practices we’re developing now continue once the drought is over? How prepared will we be for the next drought?

Our parents and grandparents practiced water and energy conservation as a matter of necessity. Clothes lines were common because electric dryers were not the norm. The only gardens to receive water in addition to rainfall were the vegetable gardens that fed the family. Over the years, definitions for convenience and necessity have become seemingly interchangeable. If a load of laundry needs to be dried at 9pm on a cold winter evening, it’s incredibly convenient to have an electric clothes dryer inside the house. The idea of reverting back to our grandparents’ methods is not often practical but each of us has the ability to make wise choices. The idea of avoiding wastefulness can, and should, be a common factor through every generation. We’ll call it being “creative”!

Our association with the Botanical Garden opens up wonderful opportunities for learning about practical methods of water conservation. Xeriscaping classes teach landscape techniques with drought resistant plant selections that will make your yard the envy of the neighborhood while reducing its water requirements. School children visit the Garden to learn about stream ecology and plant conservation during field trips. The Garden’s Director of Horticulture, Jeannette Coplin, makes plant choices for display beds and containers knowing all too well the limited water resources and the desire to continue the Garden’s visual appeal.

Creativity allows us to learn from previous generations, adapt practices to fit our current lifestyle and leave legacies for future generations to build upon. One quick way to accumulate 55 gallons of water on the days that we actually get rain…install a rain barrel to the down spout of your gutters.

Little changes do make a difference. Below are a few ways to bring your water use down by 10 gallons (or more) per day. You are probably doing several of these already so select one or two NEW ways and notice the impact!

Turn the water off when brushing your teeth. – 4 gallons

Limit to one full load of dishes a day. – 2 gallons/day

Fill bathtub only half way. – 15 gallons

Fix dripping faucets. – 3 gallons

Take shorter showers; cut the time by 2 min. – 10 gallons

Replace high flow showerheads. – 3 gallons/minute

Don’t use the toilet as a trash can. – 3 gallons

Use compost pile instead of garbage disposal. – 4 gallons

Pour out pet’s water on plants, not down drain. – 1 gallon

This article was posted on Friday, March 7th, 2008 at 9:17 am and is filed under News.