Water is one of our most precious natural resources.  Clean water is a luxury that many people worldwide don’t have.  The recent water crisis in Georgia has caused all of us to think twice when we turn on the faucet.  Water restrictions impact everyone in the Atlanta real estate industry from landscapers to homeowners.  Conserve Water Georgia! is a Georgia Environmental Protection Division Web site with tips for conserving water indoors, outdoors at work and more.  The tips are availalbe in Spanish as well.

Here are our top 10 favorite ideas, simple things everyone can do.

1. Turn off lights when you are not in the room (energy production utilizes lots of water).
2. Reduce dishwashing – only wash full loads and limit pre-rinse by soaking dishes.
3. Reuse clean household water – collect the water that typically runs down the drain while waiting for the shower to get hot and use it to water indoor or outdoor plants.
4. Compost – avoid using your garbage disposal which uses water & compost instead. Your plants will thank you for it.
5. Don’t leave the faucet running while you brush your teeth or wash your hands.
6. Shorten your shower – see if you can get it under 5 minutes.
7. Install water-saving showerheads, low-flow toilets & fix leaking faucets and running toilets
8. Mulch outdoor plants with bark chips or pine straw.  Use newspapers underneath to retain soil mositure.  This keeps plants moist and reduces weeds.
9. Collect rain water and use it to water plants.  Or divert the water from your clothes washer to a barrel and utilze it.
10. Car Washing – visit car washes that recycle water.  Dirty cars are in, have you seen mine?

I bet we see water conservation methods incorporated into green building trends in 2008.