70 replies to this topic

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Besoeker, on 20 November 2013 - 05:10 AM, said:

If the sprinklers for for irrigating grass, wouldn't Astroturf be an option and do away with the sprinkler system altogether? And save water that way.

Irritating (vs irrigating) grass is more fun.

[E3 wise]

Ok here's the thing, as a water advocate I am fully aware that watering lawns is a huge use of water resources.  In the United States the idea of a manicured lawn is really an outgrowth of the post world war 2 suburbs model, because before that only the very rich or city parks had quote lawns.  Before that most of the population lived in more rural areas that worried more about food crops the a nice grassy lawn.

In places like Las Vegas the city has actually been paying home owners to get rid of lawns with zerscaping, low water plant that match the areas climate. It has saved millions of gallons of water, they have instituted watering saving through recycling water to golf courses and casinos and other big water users and it has made a big differance.  So your suggestion is not out of the rhelm of possibilities especially for desert areas.

However for where I live, I prefer to contribute to the hydrological cycle to offset some of the destruction to the natural areas from homes and roads, parking lots and so on.  So first we got rain barrels for our garden.  Then after a few years we decided to install a cistern system, that way during the dry season we could water, without worrying about contributing to the drought Florida was experiencing.

We just felt that since we recommend cisterns as part of our water and energy designs that it was important to follow our own advise.  The 1500 gallon tank provides plenty of water.  That said we still use drip irrigation for the garden and trees, once again to show we genuinely care about maximizing water resources.

Now I know, I will probably regret sharing this because you will point out all the flaws with our reasoning, yet I do so to show that there are lots of things people can do to try to save water.  I honestly feel cistern systems shoul be part of every home and building design, but if your way to save water there in rainy England is to rip your yard and replace it with astro turf go ahead.

My real question is this, could you actually post some lower cost measures to help save water, or will you just continue to post suggestions that do little to provide real solutions.  Of course you will disagree this is your intentions so go ahead and bugger off.

[Besoeker]

E3 wise, on 20 November 2013 - 06:48 PM, said:

My real question is this, could you actually post some lower cost measures to help save water, or will you just continue to post suggestions that do little to provide real solutions.  Of course you will disagree this is your intentions so go ahead and bugger off.

Why the acrimony?
It was just a simple and, in my opinion, a quite practical water saving suggestion.
And astroturf was introduced as a lower cost measure than natural turf.
From Wikipedia

"AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short-pile synthetic turf.^[1] The prime reason to incorporate AstroTurf on game fields was to avoid the cost of laying natural turf, especially indoors."

I really don't have a problem at all if you, or others, disagree with any point I make.
If/when I have disagreed with any, I believe I've done so in a civil manner.And given a pragmatic explanation for that. Your reciprocation in like manner would also seem reasonable don't you think?

So, let's keep it civil and just stick to facts if that's OK with you?

I'm very much too old to get irked by rude comments from you or anyone else for that matter.

I'm an old fellow. And an electrical engineer. I can, and I think I do, contribute a little of the practical bits of that to this forum. Not that it always sits well here. Realism that conflicts with sometimes unrealistic optimism and sometimes gets seen in a negative light. Fair enough. I know we need to move away from fossils to avoid pollution and greenhouse gasses. I know we need to conserve water.

Anyway, this is about water
ShortP made the comment about broken sprinklers. A good point if I may say so. I came up with what I thought was a real, practical, and cost effective solution for that.I have given you a basis for supporting that solution. If you disagree, that's fine.

Suggesting, in your words, that I "bugger off" isn't really constructive. And it doesn't change basic facts.

[Besoeker]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 20 November 2013 - 04:09 PM, said:

Irritating (vs irrigating) grass is more fun.

For some, so it would seem.
I just try to be objective.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

I don't know, but perhaps E3 was irked because astro turf is full of chemicals and it's not a real solution. Some
homeowners may install it but the general public won't.

To me, the cities, counties and states have to step up to the plate and come up with specific plans for
water management in their area.
The entire West and Southwest are still suffering from the ongoing drought;
and
too many people. Population growth drinking up the resources doesn't help.

As mentioned above Las Vegas has stepped up, but Texas? They're still in the "wait and see" mode
and it's beyond ridiculous. They're throwing around idea's (spending money, as always) but imo, don't
have concrete plans.
Midland's mayor said it correctly-
"We are worthless without water."
http://www.nytimes.c...ought.html?_r=0

Arizona doesn't have a plan either. This article from August of this year states a water use rate
in Phoenix of 420 million gallons of water- in a single day.
http://ecowatch.com/...tions-co-river/

[Besoeker]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 21 November 2013 - 05:21 AM, said:

I don't know, but perhaps E3 was irked because astro turf is full of chemicals

Possibly so. But it's a one shot deal.You could probably make a similar point about wind turbine blades or PV cell manufacture.

But that doesn't negate the point that it would save water which is what the thread is about.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Several good tips here on saving water while gardening. Our peppers and tomatoes deserve our conservation
efforts, and we deserve the vitamins and other goodies home grown veggies give us.
http://www.nrdc.org/...ign=socialmedia

[Besoeker]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 18 March 2014 - 04:23 AM, said:

Several good tips here on saving water while gardening. Our peppers and tomatoes deserve our conservation
efforts, and we deserve the vitamins and other goodies home grown veggies give us.
http://www.nrdc.org/...ign=socialmedia

Good ideas. I do collect rainwater - just not enough of it. That hasn't been an issue this year up until the last week or so. It has gone 14 days with no rain until today (so far less than 1 mm) and I ran out of the collected rainwater.
Our plants are mostly in pots or containers and we use SwellGel granules. These, as the name suggests, swell up when watered and retain water until it's needed  thus reducing the need for watering. Perhaps that ought be be added to the water saving tips list.

My wife knows I have an interest in weather and weather patterns and for Christmas, got me set of instruments for measuring temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, and rainfall. I've recorded these on a daily basis since January.

I've made a chart of rainfall.....




For conversion purposes 25mm is close to one inch. Not many days without rain.
.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Besoeker, on 18 March 2014 - 07:44 AM, said:

These swell up when watered and retain water.

I resemble that remark.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Saving water (and snitching on those that don't)..............there's an app for that.
Via Mother Nature Network-

http://www.mnn.com/l...ardens-of-water

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Not a tip, per se but awareness about your food/beverage choice's can make a difference.
How much does it take?

Via Grist-
http://grist.org/liv...into-your-food/