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@ 11. DON'T GO WITH THE FLOW Yau could take a long shower every da'Y with the. water 'You might waste by leering the rap run while 'You shave and brush 'Your teeth. BACKGROUND. Even if you don't do it, you probably know someone who leaves the water running while brushing his / her teeth, shaving, or washing the dishes. As water con- servation goes, that's not just a drop in the bucket. A household can save up to 20,000 .gallons of water each year by getting a grip on its faucets. DID YOU KNOW: · A running faucet probably uses a lot more water than you think: Ie puts 3-5 gallons of water down the drain every minute it's on. · You can easily use more than 5 gallons of water if you leave the tap running while you brush your teeth. · Washing dishes with the tap running can use an average of 30 gallons of water. · If you shave with the water on, you use an estimated 10-20 gallons each time. · If you wash your car at home, using a hose, you can use up to 150 gallons of water. . SIMPLE THINGS TO DO: Brushing your teeth: If you just wet and rinse your brush, you use only 1/2 gallon of water. Savings: Up to 9 gallons each time 'YOU brush. Shaving: If you fill the basin, you use only I gallon of water. Savings: Up to 14 gallons each time 'You shave. Washing dishes {by hand}: If you fill a basin, you use about 5 gal- lons of water. Savings: 25 gallons each time 'You wash dishes. Washing your car: If you wash it at a self-service car wash, you use 5-10 gallons. If you use a sponge and a bucket, you use 15 gallons. Savings in each case: Over 100 gallons over warer. 32 Astonishing water fact: To produce one pat of butter, 100 gallons of water is required. - e @ 12. GAS STATION ECOLOGY Accarding to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, one gallon of gasoline can contaminate 750,000 gallons of drinking water. BACKGROUND. Many Americans don't realize that the type of gas we choose-and the way we pump it~has an impact on the environment. ITS A GAS Leaded gas is an environmental hazard. Airborne lead from vehicle exhaust causes liver, kidney, and brain damage in humans. And sci- entists suspect that it's responsible for damaging crops as well. Ac- cording to one estimate, more than half the 450,000 tons of lead released into the air every year comes from cars. · So who uses leaded gas? According to the EPA, about 20% of the drivers whose cars arc made for unleaded gas use leaded gas anyway. This not only renders the anti-smog equipment ineffective--so more pollutants are poured into the air-but ruins their cars, too. · Owners of pre-197 6 cars often believe their vehicles must use leaded gas. The EPA says that's a myth-it's the octane rating, not the lead, that's important. The only exceptions, they note, are when the cars are carrying heavy loads or traveling at high speeds. If your car was made to use leaded premium, try a mix of half regu- lar and half unleaded premium with a 92+ octane rating. DON'T FUME ABOUT IT · Butane, a component of gasoline, helps create ozone smog when it evaporates. so' when you fill your gas tank, the escaping vapors are polluting the atmosphere. · The plastic hoods you see on many gas pump nozzles are actually vapor controls. The special gas hose fits over the tank opening and sucks fumes into the underground storage tank, preventing the va- pors from escaping. More and more states are requiring gas stations to install this vapor-control equipment. · So if there's a vapor catcher, don't pull if back. and don't pull out the gas nozzle to top off the tank. That's what lets the gas vapors into the atmosphere and creates smog 33 Don't forget: You can wash out plastic bags and reuse them.