Don’t you just wish to be able to calculate how much water you waste or could save by applying only slight changes to your daily routines?
How about if I tell you that thanks to all advances in technology, or in smartphone applications to be more precise, you will now be able to not only eliminate waste of the precious resource and save yourself some cash, but also you can do it in the form of a game, where you could compete with your family or neighbors on who wastes the least amount.
It is a shame that way too many people chose to ignore all early signs and warnings, and started to believe that climate change is happening only when it affected them directly. Raising temperatures, extreme droughts and severe desertification, are only a few of the visible effects climate change has on our planet. But it is never too late to start acting and make a positive change, and probably the wisest approach would be to take a look at the way we live and see what aspect needs our immediate attention.
Conserving water is the probably the easiest first step. It does not cost you anything, even on the contrary, it could potentially reduce your bill quite substantially. You can start immediately, and to make sure you are doing a good job, there are apps and web calculators to guide you through the process.
The officials at the Santa Clara Valley Water District are especially fond of any ideas that could guide the residents to efficient use of water resources, probably due to the historic drought that occurred in California. This is also why they welcomed the initiative of Lori Palmquist of Richmond, California-based WaterWonk, to develop and launch three new smartphone apps that can help commercial parties and individuals manage their use of water and at the same time save them money. The developer believes that it is essential for every household to be able to estimate exactly how much water they use, waste or conserve.
There are tons of similar apps and online calculators that can do this, and a number of them not only estimate amounts, but also provide useful information of water conservation practices. What is more, they allow users to set up competitions with their neighbors or relatives to find out who uses the least water while they shower, for example. Of course if you do not like your neighbors, there is something for you too. You could take a photo of the grumpy old guy next door soaking his lawn in water, and send it to the authorities.
If you are interested to read more about what is available, start by looking up the applications by the National Ground Water Association, H2O Tracker, Captain Plop’s Water-Saving Mission or the Drip Detective app. These apps are not only extremely cool and fun to use but also completely free. All of them will surely provide a fun mean to conserve the most precious resource we have.
Image (c) Captain Plop’s Water-Saving Mission
