If you walk down the streets of Chicago neighborhood Oak Park, you’ll see fantastically painted rain barrels placed along the streets. The 100 colorful 55-gallon kegs are there to catch rain and catch your eye. The League of Women Voters of Oak Park/River Forest, organized the eco-friendly art display to stir up interest in rain barrels.

They’re a smart way to conserve water right in your own backyard or rooftop. If you have a barrel out in the open or connected to a gutter, it’ll collect and store rainwater every time the sky opens up. Each one is equipped with a spigot at the bottom, so it’s easy to use the collected H2O for watering plants, watering your yard, washing your car or for any other reason you may need water outside other than drinking.

Conservations love rain barrels and they’re a great addition to a green garden, but they haven’t caught on in a widespread way yet. So campaigns like the one in Chicago are important to get the ball rolling. Another plus–aside from saving water, you can also save money on your water bill.  Click here to read more

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There is nothing more simple than turning on the tap and letting the water flow out of it. We don’t event think about it. But maybe we should: 40% of the world population faces water shortages. This number will only increase as population grows and pollution continues to contaminate drinkable water. There are many easy ways of reducing our water footprint, from installing low-flow showerheads in our bathrooms to wearing organic cotton or hemp shirts.

Click here to read our full Water Conservation guide.

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Daily Greenz #161

As temperatures rise, so does our national water consumption. We guzzle more gallons to stay hydrated, keep our lawns and gardens green, and fill up our swimming pools. As we mentioned not too long ago, a third of all water Americans consume is devoted to outdoor uses, and that amount increases during months in which we’re outside more. Switching to low flow shower heads, low flow garden hose nozzles, and energy-efficient washing machines and laundry detergent can all help significantly lower your family’s water usage.

But we’re also consuming water in ways that aren’t as obvious. The production of 1 kilogram of beef, for example, requires 16,000 liters of water. And 140 liters go into making just 1 cup of coffee. Our water footprints aren’t just the amount of water we use daily.

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