Happy Earth Day!

The Recycling Kids want to make everyday Earth Day. Here are some great water conservation tips from Earth911.org:

Water is the most valuable substance on Earth, even though it makes up 71 percent of the Earth’s surface. Water serves two purposes in our everyday lives: we use it for bathing and for consumption. It is also an easily contaminated liquid, and since less than one percent of our water supply is usable for these purposes, it becomes even more valuable.

Water conservation plays an important role because we have a limited supply of freshwater available. Saving water around the house, such as turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth, is a step in the right direction. Much of our water comes from natural sources such as rivers, so conserving also involves not contaminating these sources with substances like oil, litter and cigarette butts.

Something to keep in mind is that “it all ends up in the water;” anything put down street drains eventually ends up in a natural body of water without being treated. When it rains, anything from the streets will also be washed down the drain as well, including oil from cars, hazardous chemicals, pet waste and trash. We also need to be careful about what gets flushed down our toilets. Household hazardous waste (HHW), including unused medications and oil, should never be dumped into toilets or drains.

Every time you swim, bathe and play in a natural body of water (river, ocean, etc.), you are affected by both the natural condition of the water as well as any materials that have been dumped into it. To learn more about beach water quality, visit Earth 911’s sister site Beaches 911.