Attended the "Water Showcase" recently, hosted by PG&E in San Francisco. Quite the popular event as there was a good line of people waiting to get in before they opened the doors.
There were lots of exhibitors, showing how their wares would help save water or make watering your landscape easier or how solar heating of water can be setup. And the presentations were also well attended.
I particularly appreciated the presentation that linked water usage to power consumption. How are the two related, you ask? Given all the pumping and conditioning of water that is done, there is a lot of energy used so we can have continuous, easy access to clean water. So using less water more efficiently can have quite the positive impact on power usage. Unfortunately, educating the public about this corelation has not been addressed much.
Since live landscape is usually one of the largest uses of water at a home or office site, many have started using mulch to conserve water. Lawns, which take more water to keep green than most any other plantings, are being ripped out and xeroscape (drought tolerant) plants are being put in, many times using vegetation native to the area. And hard surfaces are being replaced with porous materials to allow runoff to percolate into the ground rather than be lost to storm drains.
As people do get more understanding of the water/power relationship, more of these water-saving techniques will be implemented. This will help us create a healthier state for us all.
Add new comment