For centuries, water has been viewed as an infinite resource, yet less than one percent of the Earth’s water is usable by people, and everyday we waste or spoil a staggering amount of it. 

To draw attention to this topic, today, March 22nd , has been named World Water Day.  The Nature Conservancy and Crystal Light have teamed up and are working on spreading the word about water conservation and to help out in this effort,  Crystal Light is donating 100% of their net profits today to the Nature Conservancy.

Nicole Silk, The Nature Conservancy spokesperson, says, “In the case of the United States, predictions suggest that two-thirds of the states will have water shortages by 2015. What that means is that the amount of water used by people’s needs will be more than what is given to us through the annual precipitation.” 

Here are a few water saving tips from The Nature Conservatory:

- Keep your showers to 5-10 minutes.  Keeping a timer in your bathroom will remind you to wrap up and get out.

- Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth.

- Cebrate World Water Day by cooking a meal from scratch — the manufacturing of frozen foods requires more water than it takes to make a home-cooked meal.

- If a home renovation is in the cards, splurge on low-flow and water-efficient appliances — they’ll save you money in the long-run.

- Check for leaky pipes and faucets. The tiniest leak has far greater impact than you’d think. Many cities lose 40 to 60 percent (or more!) of their water supply due to leaky pipes.

- Turn off the lights when you leave the room. Each year in the U.S. alone billions of gallons of water are used in the process of creating electricity.

For more information about World Water Day and saving our fresh water, go to nature.org

Did you know that a family of four can save $2,000 a year at the grocery store by choosing large serving sizes rather than individual sizes?

About 10 cents of every dollar is used to pay for packaging and small sizes use more packaging per ounce. Buying in bulk will help save money and the environment. 

Here are a few tips:

- Try to avoid single-serving packages such at juice boxes and small cookie packs. 

- Try buying bigger and separating portions in reusable containers.

- These ideas can carry over to cleaning supplies and toiletries.  But items such as liquid soap in large amounts and refill your smaller dispensers.   

 For more information for to Earth911.com

Every year, new and improved technology comes out for consumer use and but this year there's a difference, we are seeing more green technology.

At the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, there were many green products on display. Products which were made from recycled materials, such as recycled cds and bioplastic.  Home energy management systems were also very popular because they help people understand everyday energy usage and how to make adjustments during the peak energy hours of the day.   

Jennifer Bemisderfer, from mygreenelectronics.org, says, "One of my favorites is the I-go Smart Power tower runs about 80 dollars but they will reduce about 85 percent of yor standby power. This is great for your computer because when you are not using the products it shuts down power to the outlet and powers instantly back on when you do need it by cutting that standby power which is wasted.”

 For a longer list of green products showcased at the Electronics show, go to mygreenelectronics.org

Last years Resolution was to recycle more, replace traditional light bulbs with energy-efficient one and compost your food scrap.  Now the question remains:  How can you take your everyday green habits to the next level?

You can volunteer at a National or State Park.  They are beautiful places to visit but always need to be maintained and environmentally intact.  As a volunteer you can assist in such tasks as trail repair, habitat restoration, animal monitoring and liter collection. 

You can teach kids about recycling by implementing a program at a school or day care.

You can also plant trees on your property or volunteer at your local Parks and Recreation Department.  By planting one million trees, it can save 10 million dollars in annual energy costs,  help remove 2.24 million pounds of air pollution, and captures 1.9 billion gallons of storm water to decrease runoff and erosion.

You can be a green volunteer by joining a carpool or setting up a recycling program at work.  Also, giving all employees stainless steel water bottles instead of platic or styrofoam cups.

Taking cyber action is a great way to step up your green living. Forwarding emails with green tips to a friend, posting tips on the information board at work or school and putting links to Green websites on your Facebook and Twitter pages are easy ways to help.

For more information... go to earth911.com.

Now the days are getting longer and the temperature a little more manageable, why not dust off that bicycle?  Not only will biking help you get back in shape for spring and summer but it will also help the environment.  

Here are a few tips to get you cycling:

- Bike to work.  If not everyday, try one or two days a week.   

- Encourage others to bike with you.

- Use your bike for shopping, visiting friends and running errands. You can always add a carrier rack or basket to your bike to make it easier to transport your briefcase or groceries. 

- Make a date with your bike this weekend. Kentucky's weather will be wonderful! 

Did you know that if you biked to work rather than drove, you could save 407 galloins of gasoline each year, half the amount burned ammually by a typical American car.  Apart form walking, there is no more energy efficient way to get to work than by bike and more than half of all commuting trips are less than 5 miles, that's a distance that can be easily covered by a bicycle.  

For some bike trails in KY  go to www.kentuckybiketrails.com

The Green gene isn’t always passed down through the generations. But nowadays, kids are being taught at school about the harmful effects we have on the environment and they are re-educating their parents on how to go green.  If your kid is passionate about being environmentally friendly, you should check out the nationwide campaign to find “America’s GreenestSchool”. 

Students can submit an essay, video, or song explaining what they’d do if in charge of making your school a greener, more eco-friendly place.

If they win the contest, their school will receive a hybrid bus and $20,000 for repairs and a $3,000 scholarship for the student. If interested, you better hurry and apply. the dealine is Monday, March 8th. 
 
For more information, go to thegreenestschool.com