June 4(for) Green Acres Challenge

These monthly challenges are your opportunity to cultivate your own acres. They are designed to challenge your creativity, test your will power, and pull your awareness to the footstep you are leaving behind. 

By participating in these challenges and sharing them with others you are spreading the message. Over time, those around us will be making better choices as well. The goal is not to change how you live your life, but rather think about the implications of those choices and tweek them for the best outcome.

JUNE CHALLENGE: CONSERVE & PROTECT WATER

Water has been on my mind as of late.  Here in the south we are in a drought.  Last summer's heat and lack of storms sucked the moisture right out of the area.  While we have had rain, it is not enough to replenish what we have used.  I can't imagine going into another Texas summer with very little water.  What would you do if all the water ran out?    

We use water for everything.  We use it for hygiene, washing laundry and dishes, to cook, water plants, swim, to produce electricity, irrigate crops... The list is endless, the need, boundless, and yet we take it for granted.  While it is a renewable resource, we do not have control over nature to supply us more when we need it, so consuming it consciously is almost mandatory.  

It's also a matter of your health which trumps every other reason.  The primary reason our bodies function is because of water.  Our bodies can not live without water for more than three days versus three months without food.  If it's that vital to life it's that important to protect it.    

This challenge has many facets.  For the month of June I want you to think about water from every angle.  It's the beginning of summer and our consumption of water spikes.  We will be drinking more, watering our lawns, and swimming.  Answer the following questions and start making a conscious shift to conserve and protect your water this summer.   

• How clean is the water you are drinking?  Are you drinking it out of a plastic bottle that will heat up in the sun and leach chemicals into your water? 
• Do you really trust your municipal water?  It's full of chlorine, and fluoride which has been linked to endocrinological damage.  What additional measures are you taking to filter out these toxins?
• How often do you water your lawn or garden? Does your grass really need to be watered daily?  What time of day are you watering? In the early morning or the hottest part of the day when most of it evaporates?
• Take an assessment of your water and create a water budget.  How much water do you actually consume and how much water do you actually need?  Where can you eliminate waste? 
• Are you collecting all the natural water you can with rain barrels and buckets? 
• How often do you shower and how long is your shower?  

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Taking the challenge and want to tell others about it?  Grab the 4(for) green acres badge in the sidebar and post it on your blog or website.