By the very nature of the water management products that we develop, we’ve committed to protecting our most valuable natural resource since Aquatrols was founded back in 1955. In addition to products that help turf managers to make better use of water and other applied inputs, we promote an internal culture of conservation.
“Respect the Drop”, a phrase coined by our CEO, Mr Matt Foster is a notion that the whole company is encouraged to live and breathe, both in our professional endeavours and at home as individuals, families and communities.
It’s no secret that the sports turf industries are in the spotlight when it comes to environmental impact and it’s our responsibility to highlight the positive, progressive ways in which we as an industry are working to conserve water, promote ecological practices and ultimately, reduce the negative impact of golf courses in our communities.
Turf managers play an important part in the bid to implement environmentally sound management strategies and tell their conservation story to the public. Luckily, there is a wealth of information curated by industry bodies and plenty of tools available to make this task a little easier. Here we’ve gathered some of the most useful pieces of research and information to help you implement water conservation practices in your every-day life.
Effective water use on course
- The R&A’s Sustainability section of their website includes a whole host of resources. Including Using Water Efficiently: https://www.randa.org/en/sustainability/resources/using-water-efficiently
- Irrigate for playability and turf health, not colour: http://gsrpdf.lib.msu.edu/ticpdf.py?file=/article/moeller-irrigate-1-25-13.pdf
- USGA Water use of Golf Courses Collection: https://www.usga.org/course-care/digitalcollections/irrigation-management.html
- GEO Foundation are working to tell the positive stories about golf sustainability: https://sustainable.golf/sustainable_golf/water/
Effective water use at home
Eartheasy.com provide a vast amount of tips for conserving water in the home, from simple things such as turning off the tap whilst you brush your teeth or taking shorter showers, to ideas that require more adjustment and dedication like eating less water-intensive foods and being conscious of the consumer products you purchase.
We’ve picked out our top 10 tips that are easy to implement in the home:
- Turn Off the Water After You Wet Your Toothbrush
There is no need to keep the water running while brushing your teeth. Just wet your brush and fill a glass for mouth rinsing.
- Rinse Your Razor in the Sink
Fill the sink with a few inches of warm water. This will rinse your razor just as well as running water, with far less waste of water.
- Opt for the Dishwasher Over Hand Washing
It may seem counterintuitive, but it turns out washing dishes by hand uses a lot more water than running the dishwasher, even more so if you have a water-conserving model. It is estimated an efficient dishwasher uses half as much water, saving close to 5,000 gallons each year.
- When Washing Dishes by Hand, Don’t Leave the Water Running for Rinsing
If your have a double-basin, fill one with soapy water and one with rinse water. If you have a single-basin sink, gather washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them with a spray device or a pan full of hot water. Dual-swivel aerators are available to make this easier. If using a dishwasher, there is usually no need to pre-rinse the dishes.
- Don’t Let the Tap Run While You Clean Vegetables
Just rinse them in a stoppered sink or a pan of clean water. Use a dual-setting aerator.
- Keep a Bottle of Drinking Water in the Fridge
Running tap water to cool it off for drinking water is wasteful. Store drinking water in the fridge in a safe drinking bottle. If you are filling water bottles to bring along on outdoor hikes, consider buying a personal water filter, which enables users to drink water safely from rivers or lakes or any available body of water.
- Take Shorter Showers
One way to cut down on water use is to turn off the shower after soaping up, then turn it back on to rinse. A four-minute shower uses approximately 20 to 40 gallons of water. You can also install a simple shower timer, available from Eartheasy or your local water utility.
- Use Clothes Washer for Only Full Loads
With clothes washers, avoid the permanent press cycle, which uses an added 5 gallons (20 litres) for the extra rinse. For partial loads, adjust water levels to match the size of the load.
- Use Your Water Meter to Check for Hidden Water Leaks
Read the house water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
- Recycle Your Water Where You Can
Collect the cold water you run before it’s hot enough to shower and use it to water plants or flush the toilet (known as a bucket flush). Rinse water from dishes and food preparation can be collected and used to soak other dishes.
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