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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

A little greener

The Spokesman-Review

When water conservation experts see a sprinkler system going full blast in a rainstorm, it makes them want to add more water to the scene by shedding tears of frustration. The sprinkler is spreading fresh water onto lawns and gardens while Mother Nature is doing the job with much less waste.

Did you know there are inexpensive devices you can add to your automatic sprinkler system that sense when it rains and turns the system off? Pricier devices communicate with weather satellites and adjust water scheduling accordingly.

The Regional Water Conservation Collaboration, a partnership of sprinkler industry folks, local government types, water purveyors and Washington’s Department of Ecology, will sponsor a Smart Watering Workshop Saturday. It’s free. They’ll feed you a barbecue lunch, too. And none of this sitting in a classroom listening to why watering your lawn and garden incorrectly is a huge waste of fresh water. No lectures. No guilt trips. Honest.

Instead, you’ll learn such things as the secrets of sprinkler system clock timers. And how to adjust a sprinkler head to keep its spray out of the street. Bring the kids, too. They’ll be entertained at hands-on stations set up for them.

“You’ll have better retention of information because you’ve done it,” said Brook Beeler, community outreach and environmental education specialist with the ecology department.

Water conservation preserves fresh water resources for generations ahead. Energy conservation does the same. Many homeowners have been hearing and reading about compact fluorescent bulbs. They last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs and use one-fourth the energy. But people might be reluctant to buy them. They can be more expensive than incandescent bulbs. And some worry that the quality of light is not as good.

So another collaborative group – The Lands Council, Avista, Northwest Climate Change Center, and Lewis and Clark High School’s Practice in Community Program – will give away 17,500 compact bulbs in the next several months.

Those who have been preaching green for a long time are switching from talk to action. Using less water and energy in homes and gardens requires education. It has to be fairly simple, and even a little fun, for conservation habits to kick in. Be sure to take advantage of these free opportunities to learn a greener way.