Tag: water conservation

Xeriscaping –  Dry Landscaping Going From Freaky to Increasing Property Value

Xeriscaping – Dry Landscaping Going From Freaky to Increasing Property Value

I grew up in a suburb in Milwaukee, where everyone had front lawns with grass, bushes and trees.  Well almost everyone.  There was one girl’s mother who changed their front lawn into a prairie – with tall wild grasses, flowers, and tall plants.  This filled the half circle of lawn inside their driveway, and you could not see the front door of their house.  We used to stare at the “freaky lawn” as we passed by on the bus and some people used to make fun of the girl because of her crazy wild grass front lawn.

Today there is a name for this type of alternative landscaping which is gaining momentum, called xeriscaping.  The word xeriscaping comes from the word xeros, which is Greek for the word dry combined with part of the word landscaping.  Xeriscaping refers to a method of landscape design that minimizes water use.

The term was started in Denver in 1978, where employees from the Water Department made up the term for landscapes that conserve water.  This approach of landscaping emerged when there were severe water shortages in Colorado.  Generally, plants that are considered local native plants are used in xeriscaping, and the landscape design works to avoid water evaporation and run-off.   The xeriscape garden uses plants that usually have low water requirements, and are able to handle short periods of drought.

Some of the benefits of xeriscaping is that it saves water, requires less maintenance then traditional grass lawns, does not use fertilizers or pesticides, provides habitat for wildlife, and can sometimes improve property value.

The plants used in xeriscape projects vary based on the location.  In the Midwest, prairies, or native plants with heavy mulching might be used.  In the southwest, cactus, yucca, and sage might be planted with boulders and rock mulch around.

On my street, there are a few houses that have front yard gardens, or have partial lawns with native plants and grasses in the front.

My parents still live in the same area outside of Milwaukee, so I have biked by the house where I first saw a wild prairie in the front lawn.  It still exists, but today looks like a contemporary landscaped front lawn, with birds, larger trees, and flowers.

Each Summer at my  house in Cleveland, we decide not to water our lawn – and let it get brown if there is a drought.  I do plan eventually to have a lawn with alternative plants and landscaping.  The idea of retiring the lawnmower is appealing.

Image Source:
ecohomeresource.com

 

Links:

Xeriscape: Denver Water

eartheasy.com – Xeriscape

www.colostate.edu – Xeriscaping

 

Clean Your Jeans in the Freezer?  Levis is Making More Jeans with Less Water

Clean Your Jeans in the Freezer? Levis is Making More Jeans with Less Water

A typical pair of blue jeans consumes 919 gallons of water during its life cycle, which is enough water to fill 5 spa-size bathtubs.  This water includes the irrigation of the cotton, stitching the fabric, and washing them.  This past year, a new line of Levis jeans have been developed with future water shortages in mind.

The Levis company is planning ahead, for future water shortages caused by climate change that could make cotton too expensive or scarce, and possibly bankrupt the company. Behind each pair of jeans is two pounds of cotton.

Some new changes include developing a new non-profit program to teach farmers in India, Pakistan, Brazil and West and Central Africa new irrigation and rainwater-capture techniques.  Another new development is new stone-washed denim which is smoothed with rocks but does not use any water.

The reason for the company’s interest in conserving water began last year when floods in Pakistan and a drought in China ruined cotton crops and made prices higher.  This increase of droughts and floods support the predicted patterns of global warming.

The cotton grown with the new farming methods is called by Levis Strauss as the “better cotton” initiative. About 5% of the cotton used in the two million pairs of jeans made this fall was grown with the sustainable method. The company wants that number to rise to 20% by 2015.

All Levis jeans have new tags in them that suggest that the owner wash them less and only use cold water.  Wash your jeans less?  Is there an alternative to wearing dirty and stinky pants?  One way to get them clean is to put them in the freezer, a practice that will kill germs that cause them to smell.

I’ve been wearing my Levis jeans for 2-3 days now.   Tonight, I am going to try the freezer method to clean them – and will report back how it works.

 

Image Source:
Levis Water<Less

Links:

Levis Water<Less

More Jeans – Less Water – from LS&Co. Unzipped