If the Aussies were as good at moviemaking as they are at environmental innovation, the movie Australia might have actually been good. Saw it last night. Laughable.
So maybe I’m looking for something to brighten my sense of humor. Then I come across this: The Hughie’s Removable Kitchen Sink. Hughie of Australia has created an innovative portable sink that won ‘Product of the Year 2008’ award from the ABC Gardening Show.
The Hughie’s Removable Kitchen Sink saves 80 percent of the gray water that can further be used for watering your garden plants or washing your car. It is a green product that users may carry with them wherever they go; on boating, fishing or camping expeditions. The versatile sink is very light in weight and comes with a strong handle, an integrated plug and pourer. You may get the portable sink for just $25, which is available in a variety of stylish colors.
The best part is that the sink is dedicated to the memory of Hugh “Hugie” Alexander, who battled the elements for 60 years as a dairy farmer in Australia. Their tagline: “Send it down Hughie.”
I just love green innovators that leave no stone unturned, right down to the kitchen sink.
Stuffed toys are a holiday gifting staple famous for causing UFC-style fights around store shelves. This year, instead of getting wrapped up in the frenzy to get the last poorly manufactured fad, why not go the more unique and environmentally friendly route?
Idbids are handcrafted stuffed toys that teach parents and children about the importance of environmental stewardship. Our personal favorite is “Waverly,” an idbid whose mission it is to spread the word about water conservation.
Waverly comes with a photographic storybook, field guide that provides simple conservation activities, and a backpack to keep track of all your efforts. Of course, all idbid materials, including Waverly himself are made with recycled and eco-friendly materials.
Flowing water is a beautiful site when visiting our national parks. But when it’s a leaky hose in the backyard that flow is a major source of water loss and can cause some pretty severe damage over time.
Our tenth water-saving recommendation is the Hose Bib Lock, an item that prevents both water-theft and water waste. By simply screwing the Hose Bib Lock fitting onto the end of any garden hose, then securing it with a padlock, the Hose Bib Lock ensures that no one without a key can access the hose. Our favorite feature of course is that when locked that once leaky hose becomes a model for water conservation efficiency.
So if you’re looking for the perfect stocking stuffer throw a Hose Bib Lock in the mix. You’ll instantly become the savviest and most practical giver in the whole bunch - a position everyone covets come this time of year.
For all of you eager to hear the Water - Use It Wisely 12 Days of Christmas in song, we’ve done one better and made a full-fledged music video. So watch, share and watch again. Maybe even create your own version. Above all, enjoy it. The effort was a labor of love and something the participants will not soon forget.
Remember when you were a kid and someone got you that volcano making kit? If you didn’t get one of those, then you undoubtedly received a microscope somewhere along the way. Your parents were thinking that they could disguise an educational tool as a holiday toy. Well it fooled you then and for our next recommendation were throwing something out there that gives you the chance to pull the same trick on your kids.
The indoor water conservation kit includes everything that you and the younger members of your family need to embark on a full-fledged water-saving effort. Included is an earth massage shower head, leak detection tablets, kitchen and bathroom aerators, flow meter bag, the aforementioned toilet tank bank, and even more.
The indoor water conservation kit puts you and your family well on your way to water-saving expert status. To pick up your indoor water conservation kit, visit the EarthEasy.com store.
There are a few things that are an absolute must around the holidays - the tree, egg nog, wrapping paper, and of course, a working toilet. As the holidays approach and your home becomes crowded with your closest friends and family, it can be argued that nothing is more important than a fully functioning toilet.
Surely you have one of these already but as soon as uncle Marty starts pounding that egg nog your toilet could be in for a military style workout. As the flushes increase, so does the water waste. So for our eighth recommendation in the Water - Use It Wisely 12 Days of Christmas, we’d like to point you in the direction of the “toilet tank bank.”
The toilet tank bank is a handy item that when filled with water and placed in your toilet reservoir saves up to .8 gallons of water per flush. Designed with non-corrosive materials that resist microbes and fungal growth, the toilet tank bank increases your toilets performance while saving water with every flush. It’s anti-evaporation snap airlock means it never needs refilling and prevents odors along the way.
So what screams holiday cheer better than the toilet tank bank? We say nothing, which is why we’re encouraging you to visit EarthEasy.com to pick one up today.
Earlier in the week we recommended an ergonomic broom as a perfect water-saving gift. It’s a great way to replace the water wasted when hosing down a garage, driveway or porch. But we’re nothing at Water - Use It Wisely if not realists and we know there are times when nothing replaces a hose. There’s something about the steady stream flowing from a hose that is both soothing and powerful (surely Freud would have a good explanation for this).
The problem is that many of us don’t realize just how much water is wasted with a hose. Forget the typical overuse, the leaks and arrant sprays that are enough to make even a modest water conservationist squirm. So, for those insistent on using a hose, we’d like to recommend the WaterWatch meter as the next in our series of water-saving holiday gifts.
After being easily screwed onto the end of your hose, the WaterWatch meter shows you exactly how much water you are using. Aside from keeping us accountable in our water conservation efforts, the WaterWatch meter has many other beneficial uses including:
Measure how much water to add to your RV water tanks
Accurately and quickly measure water for mixing fertilizers
Track the amount of water used when washing the car
So we’d like to encourage all you “hoser’s” out there to pick up your WaterWatch meter this holiday season.
To purchase your WaterWatch meter visit the eartheasy.com store here.
