CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 03/08/11

UGA Extension challenges Georgians to save 40 gallons of water each day

By Sharon Dowdy

A new University of Georgia Cooperative Extension program launched this year challenges Georgians to save 40 gallons of water per day. The 40-Gallon Challenge allows Georgians to compete against other Americans who are taking the challenge in their states.

At the program’s website, www.40gallonchallenge.org, Georgians can pledge to adopt water-saving practices and see how many gallons of water they can expect to save.

The website also shows the most popular practices being pledged, the pledged practices that are saving the most water daily, and counties and states that are pledging the most daily savings.

“It is our chance to see how we stack up,” said Paul Pugliese, the UGA Extension agent in Cherokee County, where the program was piloted in 2008. “You’ll learn how to save water as you take the pledge. For example, shortening your daily shower by two minutes will save eight gallons per day. Repairing a leaky faucet will save 15 gallons per day. And replacing an old toilet with a new low-flush one will save eight gallons per day.”

By following the tips on the 40-Gallon Challenge website, anyone can save money on their water bills, too.

To start saving water and take the challenge, go to the website and complete the checklist of water-saving practices. The checklist includes both indoor and outdoor water-saving tips.

“Less than 1 percent of the Earth’s water is fresh water available for drinking, bathing, cleaning, cooking, manufacturing and growing agricultural crops,” Pugliese said. “From a global perspective, demands for fresh water will double every 20 years as the world population continues to grow. Saving water is the right thing to do for us and for future generations.”

For more information on the 40-Gallon Challenge and how to participate in your county, contact your local UGA Extension office at 1-800-ASK-UGA1.

Sharon Dowdy is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Authors:
Sharon Dowdy
Experts/Sources:
Paul Pugliese
To encourage Georgians to adopt water-saving habits, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is launching the 40-Gallon Challenge program. Participants are encouraged to save 40 gallons of water per day.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
Mark Risse, left, and Adam Speir check out the compost piles at the University of Georgia. Risse and Speir are faculty in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. CAES News
Georgians want clean water, local information 04/21/11 Stephanie Schupska
More people value water quality over water quantity, according to a recent survey conducted by University of Georgia researchers. And, they trust local water information sources over federal ones.
GAEMN weather station on the Stripling Irrigation Park in Camilla, Ga. CAES News
UGA weather monitoring network struggles to survive 03/17/11 J. Faith Peppers
The Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network, operated by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is in jeopardy due to key faculty and funding losses. Georgia farmers depend on the network for weather, soil and water information that helps them make the quick decisions needed to efficiently produce their crops.
Frank Henning shows how a rain barrel can be used for irrigation. From small sizes like this one to larger harvesting systems, using rain water can save homeowners money and help the environment. CAES News
Harvest rainwater, and keep the change 02/24/11 Lori Pindar
Georgia residents have faced a series of droughts and water restrictions in recent years, making water a precious commodity and leaving citizens with the burden of finding alternatives to reducing and conserving their water use. Harvesting rainwater, however, is an alternative for homeowners that not only provides a water source in times of drought and water bans, but also can help the environment.
CAES News
Drought covers most of Georgia 11/24/10 David E. Stooksbury, Ph.D.
Drought conditions have expanded over the past three months to include most of Georgia. The major exceptions are north-central and northeast Georgia, where conditions are rated as abnormally dry. Additionally, Bibb, Crawford, Macon, Peach and Houston counties are classified as being abnormally dry.
CAES News
Winter and early spring expected to be warm and dry 11/24/10 David E. Stooksbury, Ph.D.
Georgia will likely experience a warmer-than-normal and drier-than-normal winter and early spring. Heating demand for this winter should be much less than last winter. Unfortunately, recharge of soil moisture, groundwater, streams and reservoirs will probably also be less than normal.
CAES News
Georgia sees warmest summer nights ever 09/10/10 David E. Stooksbury, Ph.D.
This past summer was one of the warmest on record for Georgia. It wasn’t that the daytime high temperatures were that unusual; it was the warm nighttime temperatures that set records.