Full Text
Student aND Family Pledge to Filter Out Bad Water Habits Sit down with your family and share what you have learned. Then, as a group, go through the tips below for helping you use water more efficiently, and check each one that you are willing to pledge to do. When you are finished, you and each family member who is participating must sign the pledge at the bottom and record the date. Congratulations and good luck! Take shorter showers/use less water in the bathtub. Turn the water off while you brush your teeth or wash your hands. Use a broom to clean your driveway instead of a hose. Use a layer of organic mulch around plants to reduce evaporation and save hundreds of gallons of water a year. Install EPA’s WaterSense®-approved aerators on your faucets and low-flow showerheads. Conduct a home water audit. To conduct a home water audit yourself, or with help from a professional, consult your utility company. Many water providers will conduct home water audits for free or will provide you with home water audit kits at little or no cost! If using instructions from the Internet, be sure the source is reputable and trustworthy. Check all water fixtures for leaks and fix/replace those that are leaky. Perform a dye test to see if your toilets are leaking (instructions below). To check if a toilet is leaking, remove the cover from the tank, add food coloring until the water in the tank is a dark color. Wait 30 minutes (without using the toilet). If any of the dye has entered the bowl in that time, your toilet is leaking. Aerate your lawn. Punch holes in your lawn about six inches apart so water will reach the roots rather than run off the surface. Water your lawn either in the morning or the evening, rather than the middle of the day, to help reduce loss of water due to evaporation. Other: By signing our names below, we pledge to use water more efficiently by conducting the activities checked above. Student: Family Members Date: Please remember to bring your signed pledge back to class to share your commitments! For more information on water conservation and what you can do to protect your watershed, visit www.epa.gov/WaterSense. EPA 832-F-08-054 May 2008