Water Drop on Leaf by angrylambie

Today was World Water Day–an event that raises awareness about one of our most precious natural resources.  Like the use of solar to capture the power of the sun there are many ways we can use water more effectively. To commemorate World Water Day, Whole Living magazine dedicated their recent edition to water. Their cover article focused on 50 Ways to Save Water. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Calculate your water footprint. This water calculator allows you to see how much water you really use so you can make decisions on your water usage. Knowledge is power.

2. Hang on to your jeans. It was shocking to learn that it takes 2,900 gallons of water to produce just one pair of jeans. This is really alarming when you consider it only takes 9 gallons produce a pound of tea. If you need to have your jeans mended try a site like denimtherapy.com.

3. Harvest the rain. Putting a rain barrel by your gutter will help you capture excess water up to 50 gallons during rain storms, providing you with a valuable resource to water your garden.

One thing the article didn’t cover are the many advancements in renewable energy technologies and solar water heating. There are many innovations in this field that are helping to harness and make wise use of water. The upcoming WREF conference will feature some of the most recent developments in water & hyrdo power, solar hot water and more.