Serving Washington
Living in a modern society doesn't mean endless resources. As modern citizens, we should develop a way of thinking and act for a sustainable future. The use of water should be included in these plans as well. As you already know, the Planet is suffering because of gas emissions, and as temperatures are rising, above average values, the levels of water are diminishing. It is why some areas, which never had water supply issues in the past, now face periods of drought. It is up to us to make the changes that will ensure enough and clean water for the generations to come.
A smart usage of water does not only mean lower bills, but will also ensure sufficient water supplies to pass drought periods, if they come. The things we can do to contribute to this change is the way we manage our household. There are many aspects we can avoid or improve, in order to minimize water consumption. Take turf for instance. It is great to have it around the house, but it needs a lot of time and resources to maintain the green aspect of it. And even in the months when rains are scarce, you will need to water it if you want to keep its aesthetic character. The larger the area of turf is, the more water you will need for maintenance. By simply not watering the lawn will bring significant changes to your bills. You will have a good amount of money which you can save, each month, which is money that can avoid being spent.
There is a solution to keep your lawn green and to avoid spending your money on water. Today, there are excellent alternatives to natural turf, and that is the artificial grass or artificial turf. It is soft, with a pleasant green color, and it replicates all the details of a real grass. And the best part of the synthetic grass is that it does not need any maintenance or watering. Quality products look so good that it will be very hard to tell that it is fake grass. Before picturing it as a hard plastic mass, you should see for real how artificial turf looks like. You might be surprised of its aesthetic aspect and the fact that is very soft to touch. Your water bill will drastically chance, giving you some spare money, which you can save or use to something else. And you will also help saving water, by having a responsible behavior towards sustainable development.
...What wouldn't you do in the face of California Drought? San Jose's and Santa Clara's mayors took big gulps of filtered sewage water on Monday, April 28. Good stuff? Ouch.
Disinfected and purified water from the sewage has been used since 1997 in Silicon Valley for the landscaping irrigation and industrial purposes.
New Advanced Water Purification Center in Alviso opened in July 2015, take previously filtered water to a new level, cleans it with microfilters, ultraviolet light and reverse osmosis. The outcome is generally distilled water. After five years of nowhere near sufficient rain, Californians are questioning where else to find water, and it often comes to the question about the desalination.
The cost of water that comes from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is $400 an acre-foot. Filter sewage water will cost $1,100 - $1,500, and the desalination brings the price up to $3,000. Silicon Valley political leaders propose to almost triple the use of purified water from twenty thousand acre-feet a year to fifty-five thousand, which covers twenty percent of the country's total water demand by 2025.
They hope to get by the California Environmental Quality Act using an exemption from CEQA under an executive Gov. Jerry Brown's mandate issued April 1. The $800 million finance for this project could be funded with state bond money and federal funds. But to the homeowners it still means increased water rates. While Silicon Valley is facing the future of drinking out the toilet for the double price, it might be a good time for us to make less dramatic steps. For example, replace natural turf with artificial.
...Though often overlooked, a properly maintained lawn is one of the best aspects of owning a home. The ability to walk onto your own patch of land and enjoy a lush, healthy landscape can be an incredibly therapeutic experience, helping to melt away the stresses that naturally pop up in our lives. Likewise, a sparse, dirt laden lawn can feel like stepping into a prison, and in Central Texas it can be very difficult to keep grass alive and flourishing.
My name's Sam, and when I graduated from college two years ago, I was thrilled with the idea of home ownership. I had spent four years crammed into dorms and apartments and I wanted more space, but the main thing I had missed after moving from home was my parent's lawn. I was flooded with memories of birthday parties and outdoor grilling. I wanted to capture a little bit of that magic for myself, and I wanted to be able to share those experiences with my friends, family and future children.
After a while, I was elated to find out that I could afford a house., though I came to the conclusion that none of the houses in my price range had the yard that I desired. Some of the nicer houses had stunning yards, but they were far outside of my budget. Even if I could have afforded them, I had observed a number of lawn care professionals maintaining these beautiful lawns, and I had not anticipated that cost. I decided that, with a bit of work, I might be able to sculpt a lawn that would bring me pride. I settled on a house with a fairly small backyard, thinking that if the yard was smaller, I might have an easier time maintaining it properly. The lawn was mostly dirt with small, sparse patches of weeds jutting out of the ground. To say the least, it wasn't inviting, and I couldn't imagine my friends, let alone my future children, wanting to spend any time there.
After months of hard work and countless dollars spent on water and fertilizer, I had barely grown any grass, and the grass that had appeared was dry and nearly dead. I decided that my lawn was destined to be a barren wasteland. Part of the problem is that I live in Central Texas, which is extremely hot and dry. Without employing the help of a team of lawn care specialists, it's very difficult to maintain a lawn. The other part of the problem is that I was having trouble balancing my new career, my social life and my off time with the increasing amount of effort my lawn was demanding.
A few weeks later, I went to a party at my friend's house. He had never been able to get his lawn looking much better than mine, despite having more money and time at his disposal, but as soon as I stepped into his backyard, I was struck with child-like wonder. Beautiful, lush green grass filled the ground. It was nothing like the dirt pile that I remembered. We greeted each other and I quickly pulled him away from the other guests, begging him to tell me his grass growing secret. He whispered, "It's fake."
After the party, my friend explained the details of his artificial lawn. He said that it only needed to be watered occasionally, and that you don't even have to dry it. I told him that I had heard of artificial lawns, but since I could barely afford the cost of maintaining an organic lawn, I figured I could never afford it. He told me that an artificial yard is actually more cost efficient in the long run. After doing some research, I discovered he was telling the truth. I also found out that the tools used to maintain an organic yard pump untold amounts of chemicals into the atmosphere, whereas an artificial yard doesn't require nearly as much upkeep or pollution.
A few weeks later, my artificial lawn was installed. The specialists removed my wimpy, brown grass blades and poured sand to create a foundation that would prevent unwanted growth. They installed the artificial lawn and they were done, simple as that. With the exception of occasional watering, I don't have to lift a finger or pay a penny, not to mention harm the environment, to have a lawn I'm proud of. I've made plenty of memories with my friends and loved ones, and my backyard has become a popular spot for family birthdays and celebrations. I transformed my prison into a paradise, and I couldn't be happier.
...Amazon.com, electronic commerce company, has expanded its services to include connecting homeowners with landscape contractors.
The site, Amazon Home Services, launched earlier this month and allows based businesses to sell their services through the website. It may be in the very near future when artificial grass installers, too, are connected to homeowners looking to save money and water on their lawn care through Amazon's new portal.
Amazon is already a seller of physical products, artificial grass being one of them, but now they're trying to make way into the services marketplace, competing with such companies like TaskRabbit, Angie's List and Uber.
For example, for roughly $120 you can have your lawn mowed by an Amazon-approved lawn maintenance contractor; and if you live in the appropriate service area, you can have your goat grazed it you so fancy. Amazon's revenue model is that it takes a percentage commission from all of the services sold through their site: 20 percent from the sale price of standard services, and 15 percent from custom services. Will Amazon become the go-to website for artificial grass installers to connect with potential clients? Perhaps.
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