By Lori Soard on March 20, 2012 in
Water is an essential element of life that many of us take for granted; conserving water leads to less pollution of the H2O that we and other living creatures need to survive. In fact, the EPA encourages water conservation simply because if water doesn't waste down the drain, it can be kept in lakes and reservoirs for recreation and consumption. Even those who are short on time can easily contribute to the effort with a few of the water conservation gadgets available. The five following tools are inexpensive and easy to use.
Waterpebble
The Waterpebble is a small device that you place near the drain in your shower. The pebble has an LED light that flashes to indicate when you should finish your shower. The light starts green, turns yellow half-way through the allotted time, and finally flashes red when it is time to stop the shower. The pebble tracks how much time your first shower takes and then starts to reduce your shower time little by little. It can be reset with a push of a button.
$10.00; Available at UncommonGoods.com.
Petal Drops Rain Catcher
Conserve water with this little rain catching device that turns a plastic soda bottle into a mini rain barrel. The product was developed through Quirky, a social networking site where people can seek funding for their inventions. The potato-based resin funnel is made from natural products such as corn, wheat and tapioca. The threaded neck is 1.1 inches in diameter.
$5.25 plus shipping.
Smart Faucet
Smart Faucet claims you could save 15,000 gallons of water per year simply by installing a new faucet. The attachment fits standard faucets and can be easily installed without special tools or calling a plumber for help. For those who have a faucet the drips and leaks, the Smart Faucet promises to fix these. Once the faucet is installed, adjust the temperature to your desired settings so that the water will always be dispensed at that temperature every time. Pushing the lever dispenses water when you need it and only how much you actually need instead of wasting it and running continuously. The faucet also has a continuous flow function if needed.
$16.95.
The Water Saver
National Geographic estimates that as much as 60% of a household’s water is used for outdoor needs. Staying aware of how much water you’re using outside can have maximum impact on water conservation efforts. This water conserving device attaches to a garden hose and helps count how many gallons of water you’re using as you go about your outdoor tasks. Simply screw the gadget onto the end of your garden hose. An LCD screen displays water usage so you can self-monitor usage. You can track the amount of water used in gallons or liters. The Water Saver will keep an ongoing total of how much water you’ve used, or you can reset the total to zero at any time.
$24.99.
Toilet Lid Sink
The idea of toilet water and washing your hands may not seem like the best combination at first, but this unusual concept takes the same water and uses it for two purposes. Don’t worry, only clean water touches your hands. The water that drains down the toilet lid sink goes into the toilet tank to be used a second time for flushing. The same amount of water is still used to flush your toilet, but you’ll conserve water because the H2O used to wash your hands won’t just go down the drain and be wasted, but will be used a second time. Still not convinced? Watch the gizmo in the embedded video below.
$104.99; adjusts to fit any toilet.
