Bucket Brigade

Our buckets are getting a lot of use this year. This one is assigned outdoor duty. It had been collecting condensation from the air conditioner, but with the shift in weather, it now collects the condensation from our central heat exhaust. Instead of watering the plants underneath the vent, we can water our vegetable garden.

We also use our bucket in the shower to catch grey water. I never imagined I would consider whether cabbage prefers Dial soap to Ivory soap.

I got a comment this morning about using the water caught in the shower to flush the toilet. They mentioned they haven't had to flush in more than ten days now.

Our neighbors put in a rain barrel this year. I should create a separate post for this since others may want some pointers on how to set this up. I've got a place in mind for a rain barrel of my own.

Yellow Mellow, Brown Down

Atlanta's water situation is making big news. Brown lawns no longer catch your eye and the car is covered in cat-prints for lack of a wash, but our household didn't feel that it was doing enough. It was time to Step It Up a notch.

Although we have the newer, less-wasteful toilets, we decided to follow the "Yellow Mellow, Brown Down" rule of flushing. Just because we grew up flushing after every use of the toilet doesn't mean we can still afford to waste fresh water.

At first, finding an unflushed toilet was a whack on the side of the head. Now, I'm enjoying the whack on the side of the head. We're giving ourselves a reminder -- several times a day -- that we're doing something about conserving fresh water.

We haven't had many discussions about what our guests can expect to find in our toilets, but the whack on the side of their head can be a good one. I think once we explain what the mellow yellow is all about, our guests may find they would like to go home and whack the side of their own heads.