Taking on Water: The Water Diva Challenge

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Watershed
An impressively credentialed individual that is going to use her training to get her act together about water in her life! Her desire is to learn about and implement a plan to lower the water footprint of her home. That she is going on a quest to become a “water diva” is commendable and it seems at the same very daunting. To quote, “I would so with honor and grace. How? I didn’t know…”
Eddy
Although quite some time has passed since embarking on the quest, now she starts to get serious. Apparently some of this time had been put to good use researching the topic. The facts are many and varied accounts of water usage and the science of how water works. What I found to be most poignant was the paradox of value – it makes you think.
Water Diva Challenge
Action is the name of the game. The challenge has been accepted! Time to get to work on the design of how accomplish her stated goal. The experiments’ parameters are defined and goals are set. There is some ribbing about love affair with bottled water. The goals, “…reduce our direct water use, shrink our water footprint, and make more conscious decisions.”
Know How You Flow
Now the metrics for the challenge have to be defined. As with any experiment you want to quantify what it is you are trying to measure. Equipment must be procured and experts found to help in the quest to become a wiser consumer of water. Some things are easier than others but the measurements have begun!
Big Foot
“I consume, therefore I am.” That is an astute observation and a great play on Descartes. Apparently most of us really do not think to long about water use. The role of water in our lives cannot be understated. I have heard of using rain water for gardening but the classification of green, blue ...

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...ojects was a simple reconfiguration of the landscape to aide in a water reduction plan. Just set up clusters of vegetation that require like amounts of water to survive. So instead of watering everything at the same level, water only at the level needed for the plants in each zone – saving almost half of their irrigation water usage!
Tread Lightly
With many of the mechanical issues related to conserving water, we are confronted with the use by consumerism. The author now drills down to micro level analysis. Everything is looked at in detail again to identify any remaining gaps in the implementation of the plan. Bulbs are changed, cracks are sealed, and insulation is installed with the resultant savings from these inexpensive fixes contributing to huge indirect water usage savings that, frankly, I never really thought about before reading this book.
Higher Awareness

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