Step 5: What I Learned

So this is the last step, huh? Wow. Really snuck up on me.

What did I learn? Well, let me recap the results of my survey and water conservation tips.

With the survey, I wanted to see how actual gardeners' habits compared to water conservation recommendations I found online. The four recommendations I used for the survey were: use plants native to your area, water only once per week (if minimal rainfall), use collected rainwater, and water in the early morning or late evening. Results were mixed-- the majority of respondents didn't use plants native to Massachusetts (at least on their own) or didn't know where their plants came from. The recommended irrigation frequency was also underrepresented, as only a fifth of respondents chose once-a-week irrigation. Identity of irrigation water was a total let down, as rainwater never appeared (on its own). The overwhelming majority of respondents used tap water. There was some good news with the time of irrigation though: the majority of respondents watered their plants in the recommended times. Overall, it was a mixed bag.

When I set out to implement water conservation tips, I found myself stumped. Most of the recommendations I couldn't do-- some of them were already done, and some of them were out of my range. I was delighted to find that my household did a lot of water conserving things on its own. We already had a bottle of water in the fridge, an efficient washer-machine, Eco-friendly showerheads and a dishwasher that never ran on partially-empty loads. The only thing I wound up doing was scraping plates before they went in the dishwasher instead of rinsing them.

So the overall theme of this project is that there's a great deal of water conservation already happening. Sure, the survey was a partial let down, but there were rays of hope in there as well. There's the majority of people watering at the recommended times, of course, but also little shimmers of the suggestions in the other questions too. Native Massachusetts plants appeared in the plant origins question, although very small, and once-a-week irrigation was present in the frequency of watering inquiry. They were probably also present in the combination options too. While the recommendations were in small quantities, they were still present in the gardeners' activities. Meanwhile, there was a similar thing in my household. We still have room to improve, certainly, but there is a lot we've already done. That sentiment is what I saw in my studies-- room to improve, but a lot already done.

It's been a great time doing this project! I liked blogging and collecting answers for my survey. I do hope that you enjoyed following it as I did conducting it.

Thank you!

Step 4: Water Saving Suggestions

Hey there!

When it came to Step 4, I admittedly didn't do much. Not because I was lazy, but because there wasn't much to do. Many of the water saving recommendations I came across have already been implemented in my life, or can't be. I found many, many recommendations to fix leaks and replace old appliances with newer, more green versions, but obviously I can't do either. I can't find my way around a wrench, and neither my family nor I has the money to spontaneously drop on new appliances and the labor needed for the installation process.

Aside from that, many of the low hanging recommendations have already been done. On my family's part, they've already installed water-saving shower heads and washer-machine.

As long as I can remember there's been a bottle of drinking water in my fridge,

and our dishwasher has hardly ever been run without a full load. And on my own part, I've nearly always taken showers over baths, and turned the water off when I lathered my hands or brushed my teeth. That is just the way I am.

In the end, I decided to do just one thing: scrape plates off before they go in the dishwasher. This was to replace rinsing. I've been doing this for three days or so, and it's worked out well for me. Up until now I rinsed off my plate like all the other members of my house. Since I like scraping, though, I'll keep doing it from now on.

Step 3: Analyzing Initial Findings

Now that the survey's over, let's analyze the data! In my survey, I wanted to see how gardeners held up to these recommendations I got in Step #1:

• Use plants native to your area
• Water plants once a week if there is minimal rainfall
• Water plants in the early morning or late evening
• Collect rainfall for irrigation in screened container

And the questions I created in response to these were (respectively):

• What is the origin of the plants you have planted (if any)? 
• How often do you irrigate your plants?
• When do you irrigate your plants?
• What kind of water do you use to irrigate your plants?

Let's start with the origin of the plants. I gave five possible answers: plants native to Massachusetts, plants native to the United States, plants native to foreign countries, a combination of above types, and unknown origin. The results were split between all the answers, with the exception of plants native to foreign countries, which never appeared on its own. This question's plurality was actually a tie between unknown origin and plants native to the United States. For the latter, and the fact that foreign plants never appeared on its own, is a good sign. By using United States plants, they'd be using less water than if they planted foreign plants. Although, partial credit only-- native Massachusetts plants would've been best, but only two people used them.

It's a similar story when it comes to the amount of irrigation per week. The recommended amount-- once per week-- was tied with once per day at second to last place. Out of the fifteen people who responded, only three responded with once per week. I don't blame the gardeners though-- some plants may require more water than others. Just compared with the recommendation, however, the results are lackluster.

The results were great with the irrigation time! The majority of answers for this question complied with the recommendation I found. 73.3% of responses were either early morning or evening, perfectly in line with the recommendation. When I talked to one of the respondents, they supported their selection by saying that water evaporates when not in one of those two times. It was great to see that at least this gardener had good information.

Finally, type of irrigation water. This was the one constant in the whole survey. Throughout the fifteen responses, it barely moved at all. As it stands now, and has it always did, the majority answer was tap water. The only other answer to appear was combination of above types. So none of the respondents use filtered water, collected rainwater, uncollected rainwater or something entirely different. While rainwater could've certainly been referred to in the combination answers, it still doesn't change the fact that it was only included in 20% of the responses. Another disappointment in comparison to the recommendation.

It was great to see how people gardened! This survey included both casual gardeners and practical small-time farmers, so it was quite diverse as well. I'm slightly disappointed that most of the respondents didn't live up to the recommendations I found, seeing as the majority (80%) claimed to have water conservation in mind while landscaping. But I don't blame that on them.

I wonder, if given the materials and information, would they follow the recommendations I found? Are their answers personal preferences or simple guesses? Well, that's out of the reach of this survey.

Survey Update 4!

I have just received one last response, bringing the total up to 15! Here's the actual final lineup:

Survey Over!

Hey everyone!

I'm closing the form today. I got fourteen answers in total, and the final results are below.

The final steps of the project will be posted sometime soon.

Survey Update 3!

Five: a number so nice I got it twice! I think I'll close the survey the day after tomorrow.

14 responses in, and the results are nice and mixed! It's interesting to look over these charts day after day. I love seeing how the numbers change. I'm especially happy that the option "plants native to Massachusetts" has finally appeared in #3. But that's enough of that. Like with the other posts, on to what's alarming and what's not!

#5 pops out to me immediately. Tap water's bid as the super-majority still hasn't changed from when I started two days ago. That's sad, seeing as rainwater is what my research recommended. In similar news, the plurality of answers in #7 is irrigation multiple times a week. Also against my research.

A few good things have appeared as well. Most of the respondents have reported that they took water conservation at least into some account. In #6, the majority of people list their irrigation time as being either early morning or evening. Another good sign! And, as for #3, "plants native to foreign countries" has never appeared (on its own.) That's great!

When the last responses come in, I'll have to dissect the data and see how water conscious the respondents are. Should be fun!

Survey Update 2!

Another day, another five responses! Here's the new situation:

Well, some trends are emerging! It seems that most of my gardeners prefer flowering plants, watering by hand, using tap water and planting plants with unknown origins. While the flower and unknown origin parts aren't great, the tap water and watering by hand aren't terrible news. They could be better, yes, but they could be worse.

The results that worry me the most are the amount of irrigation and the origin of the plants. Plants should be watered once a week or so, according to my research from Step 1, and so the fact that only 22.2% of the surveyed answered with that is alarming. Also, native plants are the best for water consumption, but only 1 respondent answered with that (at least on its own. That's not great. Although, when it comes to the largest group not knowing the origin of their plants, I can't fault them on that.

It's not all bad news, though! The majority of people said they took a good amount of consideration in water conservation, and the largest group in the time of irrigation question said they watered their plants in the early morning. Early morning is the best time to irrigate plants, and being conscious of the environment is always fantastic. Though I do have to say, compared with the first question and the other six, I'm not sure if the respondents are as conscious of water conservation as they claim to be.

We'll just have to see when more results come in!

Survey Update 1!

Hey there!

I got some responses to my survey today. Sadly, it's a very small sample, so the results below are skewed.

These results are far from final, obviously, but I'm happy to see to some things. I'm glad that 75% of the surveyed water their plants in the early morning. This is what the water conservation tips recommended! It's also great that, again, 75% surveyed say they took water conservation into some consideration while landscaping. 

Although, I'm sad to see other data. Native Massachusetts plants have not appeared in question #3 (at least on their own) which is a huge let down. Plants native to one's climate are the best water-use wise. Also, no one seems to use recycled rainwater (at least on its own) in their irrigation. Another conservation recommendation ignored.

Oh well. This is only with a very small number, so we'll have to see.

Step 2: Creating A Research Study

After reading through the tips from Step 1, I decided to study the correlation between water conservation and gardening. There was a good deal of tips related to gardening, see. In other words, I wanted to answer the question:

To what degree do people take water conservation into account while gardening?

I decided to ask gardeners. This included folk who weren't quite as good at the hobby as others. Skill level wasn't exactly relevant, as the questions I wanted to address weren't related to it. They were rather related to things that all gardeners do, such as the time of day when irrigation occurs and what water is used. All in all, I collected my queries into the handful below: 

1. On a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being not at all and 10 being the top priority) how much did you consider water conservation while landscaping?
2. What kind of plants have you planted (if any?) Flowering plants, produce, shrubs & bushes, something else entirely or a combination of the aforementioned types?
3. What are the origins of the plants you have planted (if any)? Are your plants native to Massachusetts, the United States generally, or are they foreign? Do you know the origin of your plants, or do you perhaps cultivate a mixture of the aforementioned types?
4. What method do you to irrigate your plants? Do you water them by hand (with a jug, hose, etc.), with sprinklers, an automatic irrigation system, a combination or something else entirely?
5. What kind of water do you use in irrigation? Is it tap water, filtered water, uncollected rainwater, collected rainwater, a combination of the aforementioned types or something entirely different?
6. When do you irrigate your plants? Is it in the early morning, morning before noon, around noon, afternoon, evening or night?
7. How often do you irrigate your plants? Is it once per day, multiple times per day, once per week, or multiple times per week? Or it is something not previously mentioned?

I collected these questions together and turned them into a Google Form. (The form itself is here.) Then, I began the survey!

Down here are the unfinished, unfancy versions of my survey questions. I hope they're readable enough!

Step 1: Initial Research

Hey there! The uploads begin.

This is the preliminary research I did on overall water conservation tips. I got my information from three websites (cited at the bottom.) Here goes!

EPA.gov (1)

• Repair leaky faucets (inside and outside) and consider replacing old appliances

Kitchen:

• Basins-- clean veggies in bowl of water, and clean dishes in a filled sink
• Dishwashers-- only run when full, and try to have “light wash” types
• Use garbage disposal sparingly
• Install faucet aerators

Bathroom

• Take short showers
• Running water-- turn water off when brushing teeth, fill the sink for shaving, or shave and soap in the shower
• Repair leaky toilets
• Install toilet dams, faucet aerators and low flow showerheads

Laundry

• Run full loads of laundry
• Look for water saving models that can be adjusted to load size

Outdoors

• Gardening-- smaller gardens and natural veggies. Native plants are best. Ask for low water plants or shrubs. Cluster demanding plants together for efficiency
• When mowing, set the blades to 2-3” high
• Watering-- Only when necessary. Once a week if minimal rainfall, avoid hot and windy days. Water in morning or late evening. Ensure sprinklers don't want non-vegetation. Put down no more than 1” of water per week. If automatic irrigation, ensure it is properly installed, delivers the proper amount, and has rain shut off capability.
• Apply mulch around shrubs and flower beds
• Collect rainfall for irrigation in screened container
• Washing car-- wet it quickly, then use bucket of water to wash it. Turn on hose or use rain for final wash
• Use broom for cleaning instead of hose

ECY.WA.gov (2)

Bathroom

• Turn off water when tooth brushing
• Showers instead of baths
• If bath, immediately plug drain and adjust temperature as you fill the tub
• Use leak free, high efficiency toilet
• Turn off water while lathering hands

Kitchen

• Wash only full loads, and select appropriate water level or load size
• Defrost foods in fridge overnight
• Scrape dishes before putting in dishwasher
• Compost instead of garbage disposal
• Keep drinking water in fridge

Laundry

• Wash full loads only, or use appropriate water level/load size
• High efficiency washermachine

Leaks

• Fix 'em

Outdoors

• Native/drought resistant plants
• Hose timer
• Collect rainwater
• Use broom or electric blower to clean
• Washing car-- use adjustable nozzle/sprayer & turn off water while soaping

RIPUC.org (3)

Indoor

• Low flow showerheads
• Cut showers by 1-2 minutes
• Taking bath instead of a shower once per day
• Cut off water while soaping and scrubbing in the shower
• Low flow toilet
• Turn water off to brush teeth
• When washing dishes, use spray device or short blasts of water
• Use “just enough” dish detergent
• Collect the colder water wasted while waiting for hot in a bin
• Fix leaks
• Fix or shut off dripping faucets
• Use partially filled sink to wet razor
• Check for toilet leaks with food coloring
• Keep water in fridge for drinking
• Thaw food in fridge
• Wash only full loads of dishes
• Select proper water level for laundry

Outdoors

• Water in early morning or early evening
• Don't let sprinklers water not-vegetation
• Fix leaks
• Fix or shut off dripping faucets
• Drip irrigation around trees, shrubs and gardens
• “Mowing lawns higher than normal”
• Cut water off when carwashing.
• Cover your pool
• Shut off nozzles on hoses
• Collect rainwater on roof

(1) United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2017, February 16). Water Conservation Tips for Residents. Retrieved March 15, 2017 from https://www3.epa.gov/region1/eco/drinkwater/water_conservation_residents.html.

(2) Department of Ecology: the State of Washington. (Date unknown.) Water conservation: it all starts with you. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/ws/wtrcnsv.html.

(3) Unknown. (Date unknown.) Water Conservation Tips. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.ripuc.org/consumerinfo/Conservation_Water.pdf.

Hey Everyone!

Hey everyone! Welcome to my Ecology project blog. I will be posting all the steps of my project soon. Hang tight!