Conserving Water: Top 10

1. Kick your Lawn Habit: Use native and drought-tolerant plants instead of turf grass
2. Get Smart: Replace your irrigation with smart controllers, efficient sprinkler heads, and drip lines, or stop using it at all
3. Lose Those Drips: Fix leaks inside and outdoors
4. Load Up: Only run full dishwashers and washing machines 
5. Go Dirty: Dusty cars show you care
6. Harvest the Rain: Reuse stormwater with Rainbarrels, Cisterns, and Raingardens
7. Be twice as Nice: Reuse graywater from your laundry or shower
8. Rub a-dub-dub: All the kids share the tub, take a 5-minute shower, or skip a day
9. Cover up: Use a pool cover to prevent evaporation
10. Get Money for Nothing: Cash in on conservation rebates and save on bills 

*If removing all turf is too much change for you, reduce it and aim for 25% or less of the original lawn size.  Every bit helps.

** Don’t be fake – no plastic lawns.
Why? Putting in plastic grass is not an environmental change you should make. Plastic breaks down over time, allowing small pieces to become litter in the watershed and ocean. Plastic lawns get really hot, which is uncomfortable to people, increases temperatures around your home, and destroys the life needed in soils for other benefits like retaining moisture. Plastic lawns provide no habitat for any other animals; wouldn’t you miss butterflies and bunnies?  Additionally, the health effects due to exposure to materials in artificial turf and its subsurface are still being studied.