Here in Northern California we’re quickly sliding into the rainy season. I can tell this as much from the “what, that was summer?” look on people’s faces as much as I can from the weather itself. So here comes the rain again and in the name of keeping our chins up, we give you Clean Rain – or, a good way to make use of the wet stuff beyond an excellent reason to bitch and moan.

Clean Rain is a rainwater harvesting system that that hooks up to your gutters. It uses simple technology to filter out junk, including a “Smart Sense First Flush” water diverter that keeps contaminants contained in the first runoff of water from the roof (dirt, dust, and ew stuff like bird droppings and dead/not-dead insects) from making your water-storage cut. After that first round, the device’s stainless steel mesh screening prevents mosquitoes, bugs and vermin from getting through. (‘Cause who wants vermin in their water?) The device can be installed with a hacksaw and a drill and fits all common downpipes. You can even paint the thing to match your house’s color scheme. Oh, and its materials are all recyclable.

Clean Rain is made by Aussie-based Rain Harvesting, so we gringos have to work our own metric conversions on the following Clean Rain spec: For every 1mm of rainfall per square meter of roof, you can collect 1 liter or rain.

What can you do with a bunch of clean rainwater? Aside from watering gardens (which dig rainwater best) or put into a pond (this is water), says EnviroGadget, “due to its cleanness it can also be used in a pool, or set to be stored in a large water storage tank for use in toilets or such devices.” (That said, I do wonder how clean my toilet water really needs to be.)

The post When the Rain Comes”¦ appeared first on EcoSalon.

A long hot shower at the end of the day is a great way to relax, but the idea of wasting buckets of water pretty much negates the stress-reducing factor, ya know? Check out these five shower designs that look gorgeous and save water at the same time. You still won’t want to stand under the water flow until it runs cold, but at least you can squeeze in a few extra guilt-free minutes before drying off.

European faucet designer Grohe makes a fabulous shower fixture that comes with a thermostat that heats your water to the desired temperature in seconds – no more shivering in a corner waiting for the hot water heater to kick in. The shower head reduces water flow up to 50 percent, while bathing you in a flow reminiscent of a spring rain.

If you’re the type that loves to be enveloped in a gentle, warm mist instead of pelted with streams of water, you need to check out Pensar Development‘s Indulgence Mist Shower. The hidden shower head churns out mist as you stand in an enclosed cubicle of etched glass. It uses 56 percent less water than a regular shower and looks beautiful to boot.

Arkema’s solar-powered shower would look terrific next to an outdoor pool or in the backyard of a rustic cabin. As Treehugger correctly points out, the solar panel is “barely big enough to charge a cell phone battery after a day of sitting in the sun,” so don’t expect to use it for a long drench. On the other hand, it’s a stylish way to get a quick rinse after a dip in the pool.

Even the best intentions go awry once you’re standing under the soothing flow of warm water. To keep from staying in the shower too long, goose yourself out with the Eco Drop Shower. Once you’ve used too much water, circles in the shower floor begin to rise, making it too uncomfortable to stand on in bare feet. A genius idea, particularly if, as Born Rich suggests, you have kids that like to park themselves in the shower for long stretches.

Australian shower design company Quench offers a line of recirculating showers that can save up to 82 percent more water than conventional showers. It comes with its own heating and water pressurization system, and even sports a sanitizing feature to keep the entire enclosure clean. The shower does a good job saving water and energy – maybe a little too good. It automatically shuts off while you soap up, so clean water doesn’t flow needlessly down the drain. Intrigued? Well, you’ll need to watch this video on Showering for Beginners to really get what Quench shower systems is all about.

Image: stevendepolo

The post 5 Beautiful Shower Designs That Actually Save Water appeared first on EcoSalon.

Fish may not be the most eco-friendly pets. According to the California Energy Commission, an aquarium run 24 hours per day can use more energy than your refrigerator. Another concern is where your fish were sourced: Were they caught in the wild or bred in a tank?

Plus, fish tanks require regular water changes to keep the tank clean and the fish healthy. So how much water does a tank use? And what can you do to make your own tank more water efficient?

Eric Reinhard is part of the Aquatic Services team for Doctors Foster and Smith, and has nearly 20 years of experience in the aquatics industry. Some aquarists recommend changing 10 to 15 percent of your tank’s water each week. If you replace 10 percent of a 35-gallon tank each week, that’s 182 gallons each year. Reinhard suggests replacing 25 percent of your tank’s water once a month. Over the course of the year, that saves 77 gallons of water.

Keeping the water clean between changes may help to prolong the amount of time between each change. Here are some tips to make your tank even more water efficient:

• Clean your tank frequently: Uneaten fish food and fish waste turns into pollution within the tank.
• Add additional filtration. “Filters are a lot more efficient than they used to be,” said Reinhard. He suggests adding live plants – which consume the fish waste – or additional filters that go on the back of or under the tank.
• Consider the population of your aquarium. According to Reinhard, most people tend to overpopulate their tank, which means more fish producing more waste.
• Put a lid on your tank to prevent water loss by evaporation.
• Pour in a bacteria additive that consumes the fish waste.
• Add fish that are low-waste producers. Reinhard suggests community fish like tetras and platies, which are typically less wasteful, whereas cichlids are the biggest waste producers.

After you change the water in your aquarium, water your indoor houseplants with the dirty water, which is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. While it’s efficient to reuse that dirty water, it can only be used on indoor plants. The water may contain harmful microbes or non-native bacteria, which you don’t want to introduce into your local water system.

Images: Melody, Art Poskanzer

The post Simple Steps to Improve Your Aquarium’s Water Efficiency appeared first on EcoSalon.

Who says you have to be serious while saving the planet?

Definitely not Envirofone, the UK’s leading mobile phone recycling company. They recently did a survey asking Brits to share their favourite tips on how to reduce their environmental impact. Envirofone surveyed 3000 people, who came up with a mixture of useful and quirky (read: strange) ideas for greening our collective ways. From reusing tea bags to getting creative with underwear (in the name of decency we’re picturing the former), the top 1o tips were:

1. Share a shower.
2. Air your pants, don’t tumble dry them.
3. Turn underwear inside out for, um, extended use.
4. Share your bath water (with the whole family)!
5. Re-use your tea bags (hey, it’s the UK).
6. Use newspaper as wrapping paper this Christmas.
7. Use dirty socks as hankies. (Really?)
8. Recycle your old mobile phones.
9. Use old knickers as dusters.
10. Pee in the shower.

Now I’m more than happy to go with tips #1,2,5,6, and 8 but I have to say the rest of these tips are more than a little out of my comfort zone.

Image: quinn.anya

The post Brits List 10 Quirky Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Impact appeared first on EcoSalon.

According to Blue Living Ideas, four out of every 10 people in the world are affected by water scarcity.

As our world’s population explodes, the problem will only get worse if action is not taken to stop wasting and start conserving the water we have. Sure, there are many large scale non-profit organizations, worldwide and regionally, who are working out how to deal with this growing water problem. But there’s also plenty that each of us can do to help conserve water – everything from fixing dripping taps to taking naval showers. Simple steps to be sure, but add everyone’s simple steps together and we’ll get (to paraphrase Neil Armstrong) giant leaps for humankind.

To learn more about the world’s water shortage and how each of us can help, head over to Blue Living Ideas and downloard their free e-book The Green Living Guide to Home Water Conservation. It’s full of practical tips and water saving ideas for work, home and play.

The e-book  was commissioned as part of Kohler’s ongoing Save Water America Campaign.

Image: Julien Harneis

The post Going Green Means Living Blue appeared first on EcoSalon.