Drawdown! Action Plan
Water
Overview
We all need water to live, but there is a lot of hidden water consumption in the things we use and eat everyday. The focus on saving water usually is around things you can do to reduce the amount of water coming out of your tap at home, but the food choices you make are some of the most impactful choices you have both on the climate and on your water footprint.
Some Climate Facts
- Climate change is changing the water cycle. According to scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is likely that both droughts and flooding will be more extreme.
- Eating meat and dairy have both a big climate footprint and water footprint. Worldwide, meat production generates 14.5 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions.
- On average, it takes about 1800 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef, which translates to around 450 gallons for a quarter pound hamburger. Food for thought: How many 5 minute showers would you need to take to equal one hamburger?
Videos
Youth Advocacy
Action |
Reason |
Resources |
1. Plant a section of your garden in California Natives or other drought-tolerant plants (Saves $) |
Planting natives and drought-tolerant plants reduces your water bill, adds beauty to your life, requires less maintenance than a lawn, and provides important habitat for animals. |
Here is a free booklet on plants that you can add to your home garden that are Bay-Friendly. Rescape has lots of resources for the Do-it-Yourselfer to lists of qualified professionals who can assist with transforming your lawn to landscape. |
2. Encourage your family to turn your lawn into lunch (and dinner!) - transform your thirsty lawn with sheet mulch and make it a garden! (Saves $) |
Lawns require about 1 inch of water a week and in a place that doesn't get rain for months, this requires a lot of irrigation. Growing more of your own food is one of the most climate beneficial acts you can do and it's fun too! Considering getting locally grown seeds from our seed library and fall in love with a new variety. |
You don't need to pull out your lawn to turn it into a garden. You can mulch it with a technique called sheet mulching. Here are more tips on sheet mulching. Invite your friends over and make it a party! |
3. If you have a garden, encourage your family to install a drip irrigation system. (Saves $) |
Drip irrigation is a type of system to water plants that has small holes in the line that directly water the plant instead of getting everywhere wet. This reduces the amount of water used. |
Rescape has resources that will walk you through how to install your drip irrigation system or find a qualified professional. |
4. Encourage parents to harvest rainwater with rain barrels or rain tanks. ($$ but saves over lifetime) |
Rainwater can be used to water your garden. During the rainy season, you can use the water in your garden and allow the tank to refill through the season. Keep the water for most of the summer as emergency water for an earthquake, then use it up before the rains come again. |
There are some local stores who carry rainwater tanks or barrels, such as the Urban Farmer. For the best price, winter is when rainwater tanks are on sale. Buy ones that sell from Texas (no sales tax), but ship from California. There are both plastic and metal tanks. |
5. Go Green with Grey - encourage your parents to install a greywater system (laundry to landscape is the easiest) ($ but saves over time) |
Hooking up your laundry machine to your landscape is an easy way to reuse household water. It does not require a permit, but it does require a little labor. One thing that it will make you appreciate is that what you put in water, including laundry detergents, goes somewhere. When you know that stuff is going into your own yard, it makes you really question the other products you use in your house and the impact they have on our water system. |
Greywater Action is one of the pioneers in greywater systems. Laura Allen, one of the founders of Greywater Action, has a written Greywater Green Landscapes as well as the Waterwise Home. Here's a free graywater manual from the City & County of San Francisco. NOTE: You can spell it greywater or graywater. |
Actions
6. Reduce showers to 5 minutes or less. (Saves $)
This is a simple act that everyone can do. Combine it with #7 and you can easily get those long showers done to 5 minutes or less.
7. When showering, get wet and then turn off water, lather then rinse. (Saves $)
This is an easy shift that over time can add up.
8. Use a 5 gallon bucket and collect shower water while waiting for it to heat up. (Saves $)
It's easy to get a bucket and capture the cold water coming out as you are waiting for the shower water to warm. Use this to wash dishes, flush the toilet, or water houseplants.
9. Don’t wash hair daily. Wash as needed. (Saves $)
Unless you play a sport daily, most people don't need to wash their hair daily.
10. Don’t wash pants and towels after each use. Wash as needed. (Saves $)
If you are playing sports, sportswear should be washed after each use, but pants you wear to school can be worn more than once before washing.
This is a simple act that everyone can do. Combine it with #7 and you can easily get those long showers done to 5 minutes or less.
7. When showering, get wet and then turn off water, lather then rinse. (Saves $)
This is an easy shift that over time can add up.
8. Use a 5 gallon bucket and collect shower water while waiting for it to heat up. (Saves $)
It's easy to get a bucket and capture the cold water coming out as you are waiting for the shower water to warm. Use this to wash dishes, flush the toilet, or water houseplants.
9. Don’t wash hair daily. Wash as needed. (Saves $)
Unless you play a sport daily, most people don't need to wash their hair daily.
10. Don’t wash pants and towels after each use. Wash as needed. (Saves $)
If you are playing sports, sportswear should be washed after each use, but pants you wear to school can be worn more than once before washing.
