Earning Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badges

Cleaning Up

4. Water Conservation

Beginner Level

• Check all taps in your house for leaks and fix any you find.
• Research and make a list of simple ways to conserve water, like taking shorter showers or collecting in a pail the water wasted before it’s hot or turning off the faucet while you’re brushing your teeth. Measure the volume amount of water saved in one week.

Intermediate Level

• Research the concept of gray water, how to collect it and what you can use it for. (Find simple ways to reuse water in our Simple Solutions from the “Attitude of Gratitude” Oct/Nov 2010 issue of MaryJanesFarm magazine.)
• Devise a rain barrel system to collect rainwater to use for your garden or to wash your car.

Expert Level

• Calculate your household’s water usage for an entire month.
• Over the next few weeks following, lower your household’s monthly water usage by at least 10%.

January, 2012 Edition