Summer is definitely in full swing around here.  As I was dodging sprinklers while out running with the jogging stroller last week, it occurred to me that summer must be one of the worst seasons for water usage.  So, I thought I should say a few words about how we try to conserve water:

* We don’t water our lawn.  (I know this is shocking in suburbia to not maintain a pristine lawn, but to me it’s just grass.  It might turn brown during the hottest part of summer, but it always comes back.  So I have to deal with a less-than-perfect lawn for a few weeks.  I’m ok with that.)

* Rain Barrels.  (If you have a garden (flower or vegetable), you spend a lot of time watering.  We’re having a bit of a dry spell now, but in a normal summer we get plenty of rain to water our gardens and we never have to use the hose!)

* Public beaches/splash pads. (While I do occasionally fill up the baby pool or put on the sprinkler, I try to take the kids to the public beaches/splash pads to cool off in the summer.  It’s a much more efficient use of water.)

* Washing Vegetables/Fruits.  (Eating lots of fresh fruits in vegetables is great, but you can use a lot of water washing that produce.  Try washing your produce in a bowl of water instead of a stream of water from the faucet.  You can reuse that water for your plants!)

If anyone else has suggestions of ways they save water, I’d love to hear them!