August is National Water Quality Month
When you wake up for work in the morning, do you take speedy showers or long luxurious ones? When you brush your teeth, do you turn off the faucet or let the water run? If you are guilty of the latter choices, you’re contributing to the problem. When it comes to natural resources, the most overused and undervalued resource is water. If you stop and think about it, you probably don’t even realize that you’re guilty of wasting water or polluting it, too. In the United States, the month of August is National Water Quality Month and its primary goal is to make the public aware of wasteful habits and proactively engage communities in conservation initiatives to keep such a precious resource clean and available. In fact, California is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts on record and conservation efforts grab attention with slogans like, “Brown is the new Green.” Even if you don’t live in the Golden State, there are still simple things that you can do to help alleviate the issue. An environmental advocacy group called Clean Water Action details some daily solutions to reduce pollution:
- Don’t use antibacterial soaps or cleaning products.
- Never flush unwanted or out-of-date medicines down the toilet or the drain.
- Don’t put anything except water down storm drains.
- Fix leaks that drip from your car and put down a liner in your driveway to collect oil and other materials.
- Avoid using pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
- Choose non-toxic household products whenever possible.
- Pick up after your pets.
- Don’t pave your property.
- Spread the word and be a water advocate.
- Keep informed.