Seas the Day!

Become Water Wise

"Water is H2O, hydrogen two parts, oxygen one, but there is also a third thing, that makes it water and nobody knows what that is."

– D.H. Lawrence

We are using copious amounts of freshwater every day, with the water we use in our homes accounting for nearly 10% of total water use. The good news? Small changes in our daily actions make an appreciable difference in the balance of our water cycle. Let's conserve our precious freshwater and keep it clean!

The water cycle connects us all, and ties our freshwater consumption to the health of life in the ocean. Those ties are most visible in the coastal zone, where the health and productivity of marine life can be jeopardized by even small changes in the quantity and quality of the water coming from local streams and rivers. There is strong science showing the connection between healthy rivers and healthy coastal areas, which are responsible for the bulk of all marine life. Scientists are now beginning to see and understand that the connection between our water use and the ocean extends out to the deep waters too.

You can become water wise and do your part in keeping our water clean and the water cycle in balance for a healthy you and a healthy ocean!

Three for me...

Watch your daily water use. The next time you take a shower, wash a load or laundry, or water the garden observe how much water you consume. This online water calculator will help you track how much water you use over the course of a day. You can also check your home's water meter and your water bill to keep track of your overall water usage, and then compare your water use to others around the world. Are the results surprising? Read on for some simple ways to reduce household water use.
Let nature do the watering for you. As much as 30% of U.S. household water consumption comes from outdoor use. To get a nice yard and garden without using all that clean water, consider planting native and drought resistant species; they are used to the typical amounts of rainfall of your area and can withstand natural weather fluctuations. Also be sure to have your soil tested - many times a brown lawn and droopy flowers are not the result of a lack of water, but the result of too acidic soils or lack of key nutrients in the soil.
Get a little help from the handy hardware store. Upgrading your water fixtures and appliances with water saving toilets, faucets, shower heads, and washing machines can significantly cut down your household water consumption, and doing so is not as costly or complicated as one might think. There are new water saving devices every month!

...and three for the seas

Take action for the sea by educating others. Many people are simply unaware of how much water they use each day. Taking action can be as simple as telling friends and family to watch how much water they use and, when they too are surprised, being there to offer ways to help them reduce use. And always remember the value in teaching children about ways to appreciate and conserve water.
Organize for the ocean. Is there a school, office building, or some other facility in your area that may be using too much water? Organize a group to help them reduce water use - you may consider fundraising to help them replace water-guzzling fixtures for example. Lead by example, and then share your experience at town and school board meetings. If you use the right approach, your community - and the ocean - will thank you for it!
Get up-close and personal with the aquatic world. Do you live in a watershed that gets its water from rivers and reservoirs? If so, excessive water withdrawals may be causing problems for aquatic and marine organisms downstream. Visit The Ocean Project's Conservation Action Map for a list of conservation organizations in your community and contact them to find out how you can help protect downstream river and coastal environments.

Visit
The Ocean Project
Web Site