No trash cans? Correct! The 2013 Green Inaugural Ball will not have a need for trash cans. A commitment was made by the Newseum, Wolfgang Puck Catering, and event organizers to compost and recycle all waste generated by the event.

To reach the goal of a zero-waste event, the Newseum will only use serving materials that can be composted, such as bamboo skewers, or reused, such as glass ware. The Newseum will also transform all of their existing trash cans into compost and recycling receptacles so guests and staff will be able to contribute to the event’s composting effort.

The commitment to reducing waste goes beyond the front of the house and into the kitchen. Before the 2013 Green Inaugural Ball, the Wolfang Puck Catering culinary and pantry staff will receive extensive training on compostable materials and source separation from Compost Cab, a pioneer in the area of urban agriculture and community composting. Compost Cab is a locally-based compost pickup service launched by entrepreneur Jeremy Brosowsky that helps urban dwellers turn their food scraps back into food, reducing waste and creating fertile soil in the process.  Subscribers have the option to receive some soil in return for their yard or window-box or donate the soil generated to a local urban farm.  Since the Newseum does not have a need for compost, whatever compost is created from the materials collected from the event will be donated.

Chef Tom Blundell outlines the plan for composting and recycling for the 2013 Green Inaugural Ball. NWF photo by Shelley Cohen.

The Wolfgang Puck Catering kitchen at the Newseum, led by Chef Tom Blundell, has also incorporated into its routine a number of waste minimization strategies, including:

• Cardboard Recycling: large boxes and cardboard items are separated and broken down for recycling.
• Compaction: waste is compacted to minimize space needs on the dock and in the landfill
• Oil: Kitchen oil used for frying is separated and disposed of in a separate grease trap in the dock where it is picked up and recycled.
• Light Bulbs: bulbs are broken down in a Lampinator, an eco-friendly lamp compressor that safely crushes the bulbs and separates the mercury from the glass and compresses it in a carbon filter.  This on-site machine reduces the need to dispose of the bulbs in a landfill, and eliminates the costs and emissions related to transporting the bulbs.
• Bulk Purchases: Chef Tom reduces waste by buying in bulk and carefully calculating food amount.

The 2013 Green Inaugural Ball and the Newsuem have carefully collaborated to find as many areas to reduce waste as possible, and we are excited to offer guests a waste-free experience.

Haven’t purchased your 2013 Green Inaugural Ball ticket yet? Purchase them soon before the event sells out.
Already have you Green Ball ticket? Don’t forget to tweet using the #GreenBall2013 hashtag.

Shelley Cohen is Chair of the Greening Committee for the 2013 Green Inaugural Ball. Ms. Cohen is an urban eco-mom with eighteen years of experience in environment and energy-related fields. She currently serves as a Senior Project Developer for Ameresco where she specializes in developing renewable energy and energy conservation projects, and is responsible for developing over 15MWs of renewable energy. Prior employment included jobs with EPA, the White House, and the office of Senator Joseph Lieberman (CT). Ms. Cohen’s green home includes eco-friendly materials, 12kw of solar PV, a cool roof, rain barrel, organic garden, and has been featured in local and national media. Ms. Cohen serves on the board of the National Wildlife Federation, and in 2012 was trained as a Climate Leader through the Climate Reality Project.

The day began with a tour of KSU’s brand new LEED Gold Certified Dining Hall, the largest facility of its kind to be certified at this level in the United States.  We learned about the design of the dining hall with respect to energy and water conservation, as well as improved usability for employees.  KSU’s dining manager then treated all 44 of us to a free all you care to eat meal, where we sampled the delicious cuisine from a variety of different serving stations.  Vegetarian foods, including vegetarian protein sources, were plentiful and many healthy dishes were offered.  There was also very visible labeling of all locally sourced ingredients, which helps students make more sustainable food choices.

After lunch, Shannan George of Life University, the world’s largest chiropractic college, made a presentation about Socrates Cafe, the new zero waste dining facility on her campus.  All food and drinks are served in compostable containers with biodegradable utensils.  They are testing a prototype composter that breaks down all food “waste” into a natural soil amendment in only 18 hours.  This product can then be mixed with soil and returned to the earth, rather than a landfill.  This system requires no chemicals or enzymes, but relies 100% on mechanical processes and heat to break down food, including meat and bones which can not normally be composted.  Campus Ecology also recently published a Case Study on this project!

I followed with a brief presentation about reducing the environmental, social and health impacts associated with eating large quantities of factory farm meat and animal products.  In addition to offering more vegan and vegetarian options in dining halls and food courts, campuses can choose to provide more sustainable animal products like organic, free-range eggs and wild game.  While vegetarianism may not be for everyone, by decreasing our consumption of unsustainable meat and animal products we can reduce: land and water consumption, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, world hunger, unnecessary use of antibiotics, the cost of health care, and the rates of heart disease, obesity, cancer and swine flu, among other ailments.  Just some food for thought.

Nell Fry, Georgia Institute of Technology‘s Sustainable Dining Coordinator, made a presentation about cost-neutral sustainable dining initiatives.  These include energy and water conservation efforts, waste reduction through composting and recycling, local purchasing, substituting vegetarian protein options for meat, employee education, and several other simple steps that any campus can take to reduce their environmental impact.

Lastly, Emory University’s Sustainable Food Service Education Coordinator, Julie Shaffer, presented on Emory’s leadership in the areas of local and organic purchasing, as well as student engagement through on campus gardens and free culinary classes.  It was inspiring and informative to hear about the wide range of sustainable dining initiatives being taken by campuses across the state of Georgia.  Thanks to everyone who presented at the event!  I hope to hear many more great stories from campuses who participated in the workshop and look forward to future events with the Georgia Campus Sustainability Network.

If you are interested in learning more about the network or possibly getting involved, contact Carly Queen at queenc@nwf.org .

Photo credit: Shane Snipes 2010

“Waste is uneconomical,” says Steven Brown, a senior from Colorado State University. It is clear from Brown’s voice that in his mind, this is an obvious statement. He is not making an impassioned plea. He is merely stating a fact. And it seems that increasingly, colleges are beginning to see things the same way.

Shane Snipes, a self-described “eco-adventurer” who has undertaken a roadtrip across America with the goal of engaging people from across the country in conversation about Sustainability, has seen the ramifications of the old, landfill-centric mindset first-hand.  All across the country, small towns surrounded by empty land often choose not to recycle, instead creating huge garbage dumps just outside of the cities.

Many of these towns do operate under state mandates to meet minimum recycling standards – facilities for recycling newspaper, for example, are freqently available. However, the models most frequently employed still require individuals to collect, store and transport recyclables to city-run drop-offs or recycling centers, which decreases motivation to participate. Trash pick-up, however, is usually convenient and often free. Thus, there is an inherent tendency to create waste unchecked, says Snipes.

Photo by Flickr user 350.org, used with Creative Commons License.

The key to reversing that trend is to reverse the motivations, and that’s where colleges and universities’  realization of the cost savings of waste-reduction is poised to play an important role.

“Universities are like small towns,” says Sally Davis, a second year student at Hawaii University, where financial motivators have led the school to cut the volume of waste produced. ”We can control what comes and goes if we choose to do so. Reducing our waste to nothing requires simple steps that have been laid out before us by other pioneers.”

There are many ways for schools to profit by reducing waste. One of the most obvious is that less waste means fewer trash pick-ups, but it doesn’t stop there. According to retired Michigan State professor Dr. Bob Suzuki, by carefully selecting the products that are purchased and used on-campus and finding ways to use the byproducts in inventive ways, a school can not only reduce or eliminate the volume of what it sends to a landfill, but create jobs and services at the same time.

Illustration credit: Shane Snipes 2010

“Zero-waste“ is the ultimate goal of such endeavors: avoiding sending trash to the landfill altogether. Instead, the zero-waste campus avoids the use of “cradle-to-grave” products — products which after use must end up in a landfill – and instead adopts “cradle-to-cradle” products that can be reused, recycled or composted.

For many schools, these zero-waste events are the first target they achieve in becoming a zero-waste campus. We reported on Ohio State University’s recent homecoming, in which the school’s facilities department partnered with a local non-profit and the Alumni Association to divert 96% of the waste from the landfill. Nearly three quarters of the waste generated was composted, and another fourth was recycled.

According to University of California-Davis, such measures — if applied to all campus operations – could avoid an estimated 6,779 tons sent to the landfill per year at UC-Davis alone. In 2007, they set the goal of becoming a zero-waste campus by 2020, and to that end have begun encouraging students, administrators and faculty to keep events waste-free. Their website has a great How-To page for hosting zero-waste events, and the school has also created an extensive guide on the subject for facilities managers.

Harvard University has developed a similar strategy for the large events they hold on campus. Their website describes what zero-waste events look like at Harvard:

“Zero waste” events involve efforts by organizers to have no landfillable waste. All trash is either recyclable (soda cans and water bottles), compostable (leftover food, napkins, and compostable dishes, cups, and utensils), or reusable (serving utensils and platters). Sometimes factors beyond an organizer’s control (such as the caterer sending plastic forks) prevent an event from being completely zero waste, but most of the Harvard events mentioned in this article produced no trash.

The compost collected at events is sent to a high heat composting facility that accepts all food waste (including meat and dairy products) and also compostable dishware, which cannot go into household compost bins. As an additional benefit, Harvard Landscaping Services has begun buying compost from this facility for use on campus grounds.

For more information about what other schools have done, or for inspiration on how to plan a zero-waste event at your school, check out the resources below:

• Grassroots Recycling Network’s Zero Waste Event Planner
• EcoCycle’s Guide to Zero Waste Events
• University of Michigan’s Zero Waste Guide
• Ohio University’s page on Planning Zero Waste Events
• University of Colorado-Boulder’s Zero Waste Stadium

By: Shane Snipes and Campus Ecology Staff

For universities hoping to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill, using bioplastics in cafeterias seems like a straightforward solution with notable benefits such as creating nutrient-rich compost for the university. However, new obstacles are emerging in regards to bioplastics, which may not break down as quickly as needed, and often confuse users who do not know how to dispose of them.

Commercial composting entails separating food waste and compostable plastics from other, non-compostable items and placing them into designated containers. Typically, these containers are picked up by a compost hauler on a weekly basis and mixed with yard clippings. This mixture must be heated to a very high temperature, around 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and turned and broken down by microbes for about six months to complete the breakdown process. The resulting product of this process can be sold as yard additive or returned to college campuses where they originated. This compost, when applied correctly, enriches the soil and helps to retain water. As new products made from corn, potatoes and other materials take the place of plastic, which doesn’t biodegrade, they can be added to this stream.

University of California Santa Barbara uses compostable bio-bags in addition to other products but, according to Bonnie Crouse, assistant director of residential dining services at UCSB, compostable items are often disposed of alongside non-compostable products, which may contaminate the whole batch. There is also the issue of expense: Mark Rousseau, UCSB’s energy and environmental manager, states, “Since it’s a new product, we understand, but it’s a hassle and expensive–11 cents versus 0.88 – 1.20 per bag.” 

Katie Maynard, sustainability coordinator for UCSB, says that universities generally face issues of health, sanitation, and pest management with composting. Concerns additionally arise regarding lengthy break-down time for some items labeled as compostable. Prior to 2008, the university only dealt with pre-consumer waste such as food scraps from the kitchens in its composting program. However, the new post-consumer pilot program has enabled the university to tackle bioplastics such as potato plates, cutlery, and cups, as well as meat and dairy products.

As bioplastics have developed, they have grown stronger, says Maynard. “When things are made sturdier, they take longer to degrade.”  She notes that cutlery, especially, has posed a challenge for the composting program. However, UCSB staff members are working with their composting hauler to more successfully compost a variety of bio-plastic products and have discovered that by shredding items before composting, these products will degrade successfully.

One key to UCSB’s success has been its ongoing communication between the waste hauler– Energy and Environmental– and staff members at UCSB, according to Crouse.  “The waste management company has been willing to take on and develop specific composting projects for our campus– including the testing of composting biodegradable disposables. This manager and the waste company team communicate regularly.”

At Tufts University, other challenges arise. Dawn Quirk, facilities department recycling coordinator of Tufts University, says that composting can cause confusion because students often cannot tell the difference between a biodegradable fork and a plastic fork, and do not know what to do with their waste. This can result in contamination of the compost waste stream, or improper disposal of items that are compostable.

Additionally, Tufts reports that some of the bioplastic cutlery has been removed from the compost stream because local farmers, ultimately responsible for the compost process of many local universities’ waste, are unable to tell if these items are biodegradable or not, and the items take too long to decompose.

To remedy these problems, Quirk hopes to better educate students about compostable products and states that special events have been held on campus to collect items such as bioplastic forks. In an effort to reach its goal of zero waste, Tufts may soon direct its attention toward providing students with small packages of reusable utensils and forgo bioplastics altogether.

Student confusion in composting has been a significant barrier to the University of Maryland’s composting program as well, according Mark Stewart, campus sustainability coordinator for the University of Maryland. The university recently invested in compostable bagasse products to replace Styrofoam trays in campus diners.  Stewart notes that “the switch to bagasse has gone fairly smoothly but it created a lot of questions from students about how to compost the containers.”

At Maryland, students can choose to eat in the diners using standard, reusable plates and cutlery, or take their food to go using the new bagasse containers. Stewart explains, “If students eat in the dining halls with bagasse (although they should be using plates), they can simply put the container on the conveyor belt and the dining service employees will put it in the compost bin. Alternatively, there are compost bins in the dining rooms so students can dispose of the containers and food waste there.”

The problem arises because students who take their food to go have no way to compost their trays once they leave the dining halls, meaning students must return the containers to the dining halls on their next visit. “As you can imagine, not many people do that,” says Stewart. He adds that he is working with dining services to expand composting beyond the dining facilities, but there are a lot of barriers to overcome.

Many composting programs are still in pilot phases and are researching solutions to remedy initial problems. One Massachusetts-based composting company, Save That Stuff, assists with composting at several in-state educational institutions such as Harvard, MIT, and Boston College. Adam Mitchell, a partner of the company, stresses the importance of using products that have been certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI). This institute has created a series of scientific tests to determine the compostability of biodegradable plastic products and ensure the quality of the resulting compost is not negatively affected by composting these products. If products pass the tests, the institute certifies them and marks them with a BPI-approved label, ensuring that products “will compost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate comparable to known compostable materials…” and that the resulting compost will be of comparable quality.

Another key to success is ongoing communication between a university and its compost hauler.  Before implementing a composting program, Mitchell recommends that key players discuss the quality of the product produced, and plan to implement an effective training program for employees who will be involved in running the program. “Rubber gloves are one of the most pervasive contaminants we find in the food waste,” he states.  “Having a trash container near the food waste bins helps to prevent that. We’ve had success in taking the kitchen staff on a field trip to the compost site so that they understand what happens to the material after it leaves their kitchen.”

Mitchell further encourages universities to consider behind-the-scenes compost receptacles, rather than public receptacles, to avoid contamination of compost materials. Finally, Mitchell states, “The school needs a champion. While many schools have a recycling coordinator that’s housed in their facilities department, and that’s an important thing to have, the champion role should come from the food services department.  The second tier champion works best if the chef buys into the program.”

Because vegetable oils generate fewer ozone-producing unburned hydrocarbons, no sulfur, and less carbon monoxide than diesel fuel, biodiesel is considered a much cleaner alternative to conventional petroleum-based diesel. Using oil that has already been used once for deep-frying also neatly skirts the food vs. fuel question so hotly contested in biofuel debates. Websites with recipes for home-brewed biodiesel abound, and every now and then, in biofuel-friendly states such as California, drivers may notice the distinctive scent of French fries wafting from a passing truck. One innovative project in Scotland even solicits waste cooking oil from riders in exchange for bus fare discounts.

Vegetable oil requires a small conversion in order to be used in a #2 diesel engine, as the viscosity is too high to allow it to atomize when cold. To create a usable fuel, methanol is mixed with lye (sodium hydroxide) and then added to the vegetable oil in a process called transesterification. Once the mixture has had time to settle, the product separates into glycerin and biodiesel, which can be fed directly into diesel engines. Oil that is being reused, usually called waste vegetable oil, also contains water as a result of having foods fried in it, and therefore requires an extra step to strain out the water and leftover food particles before the conversion process can take place.

Universities are experimenting with this process in exciting ways. Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio has had success producing its own biodiesel at a cost of about $1/gallon, while conventional diesel is listed at $3.96/gallon as of March 31st, 2008. MVNU has also saved the fees it used to pay for removal of its own waste vegetable oil. The initial investment of a $4,100 transesterification machine was originally intended to pay itself back within two years, but now that fuel prices have jumped, payback may come quicker, especially as managers are now researching local sources for more waste oil. The machine can produce up to 90 gallons of biodiesel in a batch, and is already fueling a bus, a dump truck, all campus lawn and snow removal equipment, and diesel generators.

Still in the planning stage, Indiana’s Goshen College is on track to convert about 12 gallons a week from the school’s cafeteria for use in the school’s generator, which runs during blackouts and at peak usage times. Professor Doug Schirch, who spearheads the project with the help of four graduate students, plans to have the operation running by semester’s end, just in time for summer and a high air-conditioning bill. By using a fuel that is recycled, biodegradable, and clean-burning, Goshen (which has signed the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment) hopes to move the campus one small step closer to carbon neutrality. Once the funding is secured, the set-up will cost $6,000, and is expected to replace up to 624 gallons of conventional diesel yearly. Schirch plans to dispose of the excess glycerin (about 8-10% of the original vegetable oil) by offering it to local farmers for fertilizer use.

Another approach to biodiesel eliminates this conversion step entirely. Because the high viscosity of cold vegetable oil is the main deterrent to using it, some engineers have added a preheating tank to engines rather than using transesterification. The engine uses conventional diesel to start, pre-heating the adjacent vegetable oil tank until the oil attains the proper viscosity for fuel lines. While this procedure eliminates the need for batching with harsh chemicals and doesn’t create any byproducts, it does require petro-diesel at the beginning and the end of each use in order to keep the engine from clogging. Bowdoin College in Maine takes this approach by adding about 1000 gallons per year of waste cooking oil from dining services directly to #2 diesel fuel used in the campus steam plant for winter heating. For this to work, generators must be in a warm location that ensures there is no chance of the oil getting cold, which could shut down the entire system just when the campus needs it most. If that requirement is planned for, then this is a very low-investment process for reusing waste vegetable oil.

Using waste vegetable oil as fuel is not only a possible replacement for conventional fuel, but is also favored for repurposing a product otherwise headed for the waste stream. However, while many restaurants will sell or even give away their used cooking oil, federal laws require a permit to transport waste materials, which makes this fuel source difficult to acquire and transport in large quantities. Campuses can use their own waste oil, but only in limited amounts. As Goshen’s Doug Schirch notes, “We couldn’t run the whole college on this unless the students ate French fries four times a day.”

In fact, the US produces about 11 billion liters of this oil yearly from fast food restaurants and snack food manufacturers, which could only offset about 1% of US fuel consumption, even if all waste oil currently used in other applications – primarily soap production and animal feed – was redirected for fuel. The excess glycerin byproduct can also be difficult to sell or otherwise dispose of (there have been cases of illegal dumping in the Midwest recently), although most producers end up using it as a fertilizer component once traces of methanol are safely removed.

Finally, federal laws require that vehicles on public roads use fuel that has been taxed, so campuses that create their own biodiesel are restricted to using it in generators for electricity demands or lawnmowers and shuttles that don’t leave campus grounds.

It’s been proven many times that there is no “silver bullet” for carbon neutrality, and that includes biodiesel from waste vegetable oil, which has its share of hurdles and is not a replacement for conservation measures. However, taken with other efforts and adapted to a specific college or university’s needs, using waste vegetable oil as a fuel source is already showing reduced costs, a more efficient closed-loop system, and definite potential as part of a concerted renewable energy effort.

This Earth Day it’s easier to be “green” than ever before. And that is a true reason to celebrate. So grab your pen and paper and write down a few fun activities you’d like to accomplish. I’d love to hear what other people are doing for Earth Day!

My Earth Day Checklist:

1. Turn Off My Computer and Walk Outside: There’s so much noise during the day that I’m feeling the need to find a quiet place and listen to sounds that don’t resemble a keyboard. I’m sure most people aren’t online as much as I am, but I truly feel recharged when I’m away from plugs that feed my laptop. And since it’s Earth Day I’m going to try and make it longer than just a green hour.

2. Identify Wildlife I Can’t Recognize: On said walk, I’m making it a goal to learn at least one new species. I usually am such a field guide fanatic that I don’t wander far without them, but I’ve also been known to take pictures with my cell phone and reference the birds or plants through their traits when I return. Either way, I’m planing to wildlife watch because that’s something I am absolutely fascinated with.

3. Knock Off a Few Magazines I Don’t Need: At some point today I plan to visit my Catalog Choice account and mark off a few more magazines that I don’t want anymore. While there are some magazines that are great for learning purposes, catalogs are something I don’t need!

4. Start a New Compost Pile: Since my move I hadn’t had the chance to figure out where my new compost pile is going to be. I’ve dedicated this afternoon to laying down the foundation.

5. Feed the Birds in My Yard: Ok, so this one is cheating because I have bird seed already,  and pretty much already feed the birds (okay squirrels), in my yard. But it’s important I refill the feeder especially on Earth Day. I also should look into a more effective feeder so the birds get some seed.

6. Take Some Nature Photographs: I’ve been meaning to do this recently but just haven’t had the chance. I took Nature Photography in college, and think it’s a really neat way to enjoy the outdoors. So even though I can’t enter the National Wildlife Photo Contest, it’s a great day to capture the beauty of nature and try out a few new photography tips!

7. Drop Off My Used Batteries: I collect these guys for an extended period of time and eventually I must turn them in. I know it’s not very ‘earthy’ but I am attempting to dispose of the little energy suppliers correctly.

8. Free My Inner Activist: Working at National Wildlife Federation, I get to hear a lot about how my colleagues are working to protect wildlife. One of those ways is that we keep an eye on any legislation or policy decisions that could impact wildlife. This Earth Day, I plan on helping them be a voice for Mother Earth by speaking up for wildlife.

Earth Day can be just as cheery as Christmas–but the trees stay in the forest. This can be a time where we celebrate our successes and life’s glorious biodiversity. I hope everyone considers making a checklist or at least giving me a few pointers with mine. Don’t forget to get outside today!

B Kind 2 Earth Day!

NWF has teamed up with TheMotherhood.com and Nickelodeon in a campaign to B Kind 2 Earth Day.

It’s simple…promise to do one nice thing for the Earth on April 22nd and let’s make Earth Day really mean something. Take your kids on a walk, ditch the disposable grocery bags, do a park clean-up, install a bird feeder – whatever it is, big or small, your actions to love, respect and B Kind 2 Earth will add up!

Share what you’re doing for B Kind 2 Earth Day on Facebook and inspire others to do the same!

The need for water conservation is becoming more and more apparent as drought and other environmental pressures like global warming are affecting our water resources.

More Than Just the Basic Water Conservation Tips

Conserving Water: General Tips

• Turn down your water heater when you are going on a long trip.
• Keep a lookout for water saving appliances. Like this great find by Groovy Green: Eco-friendly washing machine.
• Check your water meter while no water is being used in your house. If it moves, you have a leak.

Conserve Water in the Bathroom

• Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. In other words, don’t use it for a garbage. Dispose of tissues, insects and other similar waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
• Test for a leaking toilet by adding food coloring to the tank (not the bowl). Without flushing, note if any color appears in the bowl after 30 minutes.
• Don’t let the water run when washing, brushing and shaving. Turn it on and off as needed.
• Take showers instead of baths. A ten minute shower with a low-flow showerhead uses half the water of a regular bath.
• If your shower takes a while to heat up, and you have to let the water run, put buckets in the shower to capture the water for watering plants, washing vegetables, water for pets or washing your car and bike.
• If you are designing your own bathroom, think about putting in the Japanese style of tub that is deeper but more compact – water cools more slowly requiring less input of heated water.
• Get a small sand timer that lasts about 3 minutes and bring it in the shower. Most people can have a shower in six minutes.
• Look into devices that divert water into a bucket from the shower while the water is warming up via a hose.
• Repair dripping faucets or toilets, which use enormous amounts of water.

Conserve Water in the Kitchen

• Avoid washing dishes under a stream of water. Turn off the water in between dishes. Use only a full dishwasher and clothes washer.
• If you like a drink of cold water, but you have to let the tap run for a while before the water gets
  cold, instead keep a pitcher of water in the fridge.
• Save the water from steaming or boiling vegetables for houseplants, vegetable broth for soup or stir fry liquid.
• Wash food in a bowl or pot of water rather than in running water. This works especially well for herbs because you can swish them around and the dirt will come off their many surfaces. Let the herbs sit a minute and the dirt will sink to the bottom while the herbs float at the top.
• Do not use water to thaw meat. Use the microwave instead.
• Avoid using your garbage disposal system in your sink. It uses lots of water to run. Compost your scraps instead.

Conserve Water Outdoors

• Mulch planting beds with newspaper, leaves, bark, or wood chips. Mulches retain soil moisture and improve soil quality.
• Water your plantings with a soaker hose or a drip irrigation system. Less water evaporates this way than with a sprinkler, and you target your watering.
• Use a timing device with any watering system.
• Use “wasted” water for your plants. A rain barrel or cistern that captures rainfall from your roof is a great garden reservoir. In some areas, gray water – water from bathing or washing clothes – can legally be diverted to garden use. Use water from your fish tank when you clean it in the garden because it contains great nutrients. Empty dehumidifiers in the garden.
• Get a squeeze nozzle for your hose. That way you only use water when you need it.
• If you have a swimming pool, keep it covered when not in use.
• Sweep sidewalks with a broom, not a stream of water.
• Group plants according to water needs so you can water with the least amount appropriate.
• Plant native plants that don’t require extra watering.
• When washing your car, use a bucket and sponge rather than letting the hose run.
• When mowing your lawn, set the blades a little higher (at least three inches) and your lawn will require less watering.
• Test to see if your garden needs watering by putting a screwdriver into the soil. If it goes in easily, you don’t need to water.
• Weed your garden because weeds take the water away from your other plants.