Rain harvesting systems date back to the earliest civilizations, particularly those that were located in arid regions. For these early civilizations, captured rain water was extremely important as it was used for cooking, irrigation, and cleaning. Even a short rain can provide a lot of water. For example, if you had a 2000 square foot roof and your city gets approximately 12 inches of rain during a year. For every inch of rain that fell, you could collect 1200 gallons from your roof! Even …

Earth Day is April 22nd and will be here before you know it.  In case you haven’t solidified your plans yet, here is a list of 5 things to do with the whole family to encourage energy conservation.

-Visit an Earth Day event in your area to hear about water and energy conservation tips, and techniques.  To find an even in your area visit Earth Day Network to find a location near you.

-Bike to the local Home Depot to pick up a free EcoSmart compact fluorescent light bulb.  This deal begins …

While I may have gotten carried away with three letter acronyms in the title of this post, energy savings in your home achieved through the use of energy efficient bulbs is no laughing matter! Energy efficient bulbs can save you hundreds of dollars every year on your electricity bill. CFL, which stands for compact fluorescent lamp, is a popular energy saving replacement to your old incandescent bulbs, as they generally use less power, and have a longer rated life. However, there are a few downsides to these bulbs, in that …

Last week, I wrote a post on several different drought tolerant plants that are an effective and attractive way to reduce the amount of water you use outdoors on your landscape. While doing that research, I tripped across this cool product that helps you pick out appropriate plants for your climate. The EasyBloom plant sensor has environmental sensors to detect sunlight, shade and soil moisture levels. You stake the sensor in the soil of the area of your yard you are looking to landscape, and leave it for 24 hours. …

When it comes to saving water outdoors, landscape design is huge! Large sections of turf or grass consume a tremendous amount of water, especially during hot summer months. While you can reduce your water use by using water saving sprinkler heads and weather-based irrigation controllers, the best way to reduce your water use is to plant regional and drought-tolerant plants.
Here are 12 different water saving plants that not only require small amounts of water, but also look amazing!
Western Redbud: A small shrub bush found natively in the southwest USA. Native …