Water is Life. Use it Wisely.

The Palisadian-Post has partnered with locally founded environmental organization Resilient Palisades to deliver a weekly “green tip” to our readers. This week’s tip was written by Sheda Morshed and Ryan Craig.

Welcome to the final installment of our June Water Conservation Tips. As we enter the hottest months in the third consecutive year of the worst drought ever recorded in our region’s history, climate change is exacerbating water evaporation and rainfall patterns. Look no further than last week’s report that the arid west’s water reserves are even lower than estimated. We are running out of water.

Meanwhile, Palisadians are some of the highest water-users in Los Angeles. So let’s change course, shall we? Let’s show our children and grandchildren that we can do better.

Here are six simple ways to effectively reduce your daily water footprint:

1. Outdoor watering accounts for over 50% of residential water use. But don’t fret, desert landscapes are not the answer. Luckily, we can still enjoy beautiful, verdant gardens with plants that are adapted to our region with these ideas from FormLA Landscaping.

   a. Replace your lawn with regional native alternatives like Carex, feathery yarrow, native CA bent grass or other low-water alternatives, which thrive with 50 to 80% less water.
   b. The best time to plant native foliage is in the fall, so use the summer to remove your lawn, install drip irrigation and cover the space in organic mulch to prepare the soil and prevent weed growth without plastic sheets or harsh chemicals.

   c. Avoid artificial grass or large gravel areas in lieu of healthy soil, which captures climate emissions and rainwater while providing food for birds and other important wildlife. Plastic grasses and gravel increase ambient temperatures by two to four degrees.

2. Plant-based meals use much less water. It takes approximately 1,700 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef vs. 400 gallons to produce one pound of almonds, a water-intensive crop, according to a report in the LA Times. If you’re a heavy meat-eater, try starting with Meatless Mondays. You’ll be surprised at how delicious and filling plant-based meals can be.
3. Rest your hands: An Energy Star-certified dishwasher can use as little as three gallons per load, the National Resources Defense Council reported, while hand washing the same dishes uses a whopping 27 gallons.
4. Update thirsty toilets, dishwashers, laundry machines and faucets to water-efficient (and rebate-eligible) alternatives to save more than 11,000 gallons per year, according to LADWP.
5. Install a pool or hot tub cover. The EPA reported that pool covers can prevent up to 95% of evaporation.
6. Limit showers to five minutes, or turn the faucet off when you shampoo and lather (very easy to do in the summer!).

Governor Gavin Newsom has warned that if conservation efforts don’t improve this summer, the next step is mandatory restrictions. Reducing your water usage by a few gallons per day might not seem like much … until you multiply it by 23,000 Palisadians, resulting in more than 100,000 gallons saved every day.

Learn more at bewaterwise.com and other regional water-conservation websites.