We’re back from the impromptu hiatus causeed by all our friends deciding to get married at the same time. We’d like to extend our fondest congratulations to Cat and James as well as to ChrisAnn and Mark. We’ve got a lovely montage of wedding pictures for Cat and James (set to the music of their band, the musical voice of Greentime, Zen Debris), and we hope we can show you some of ChrisAnn and Mark when they get back from their honeymoon!

Amy’s in front of the camera this week, opening the viewer mailbag. Then she dives into our most recent project, reducing the water use in our shower. We’ve replaced the hilariously surreal showerhead with a more practical one that offers two kinds of low-flow options as well as a “pause” setting. Ever heard of a “navy shower”? Check out this episode and find out how to get in your daily bathing without wasting 20-50 gallons of water.

Formats available: MPEG-4 Video (.m4v), Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: green, green lifestyle, bath and shower, water, water conservation

Rhett’s in the kitchen this week showing off some simple ways that we reuse water in the home. Greywater, or the water coming out of (non-kitchen) sink drains, washing machine drains, and shower drains, is ripe for reuse and constitutes 50-80% of household waste water. Just through the simple application of “bucket and spout”, it’s possible to water significant portions of your garden or even flush your toilets.

The simple methods shown here are motivational examples and they’re only the tip of the iceberg. For more ideas, check out our resources and show notes:

• The Greywater Guerrillas - activists for greywater reuse and recycling. This site is ripe with projects and ideas for homes of all sizes.
• WVU on Greywater - Great rules for the safe handling and use of greywater.
• Colorado State on Greywater - A moredetailed coverage of greywater handling. It also mentiones rainwater harvesting.
• New Mexico State University - The basics of New Mexico’s laws on greywater. Also has an excellent coverage of safe handling guidelines.
• Greywater irrigation - Stats on greywater production, use, and pollution. It also includes material on greywater treatment options.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), MPEG-4 Video (.m4v)

Tags: green, green lifestyle, apartment living, reuse, reduce, greywater, water