From You Castilleja Upper School Green Team

April 27, 2016

Earth Week -Wednesday

Todays Theme: Water
Calculate how much
water you use on a daily

Todays Activities

basis so your can most

effectively reduce your

How Much Water is in a Hamburger?

water usage.

Make sure to check out visual display on the circle of how much
water is required to make a single hamburger.
Planting Succulents
Were still planting succulents near the garden for centerpieces on
Founders Day. Make sure to stop by!

From You Castilleja Upper School Green Team

How much water does it

take to grow or raise your
food? Find out here.

April 27, 2016

Where Does My Water Come

From?
From Water Education Foundation
Water is essential for life as we know it. Water grows our food,
powers turbines for electricity and serves as the lifeblood of
industry. Water nurtures our landscapes and provides habitat for
wildlife. It is estimated between 70 and 75 percent of the Earths
surface is covered with water, more than 96 percent of which is too
salty for most human uses.

Agriculture is one of largest

consumers of water
resources in out country.
Over 70% of freshwater
resources are used for
agriculture in the US.

Today, significant technological developments in monitoring,

assessing and treating water ensure a drinking water supply of high
quality for most people.
Californias mild climate and abundant natural resources attracted
early settlers, but water was the catalyst that allowed the state to
grow and prosper. Capturing the water and putting it to use
requires means among other things moving it from northern
California, where nearly 75 percent of the states rainfall occurs, to
central and southern California, where 75 percent of the
agricultural and urban demand exists. Water development, storage
and distribution projects moved the water to where it was needed
most, transforming deserts into farmland and giving life to new
cities and towns. Without these projects, much of the state would
be dierent from what we see today. These projects helped make
California the nations leading producer of food and fiber, a major
manufacturing center, the most populous state in the nation, and
the eighth largest economy in the world.
Today, substantial water development projects have occurred in
every region of the state, from the Bay Area to Los Angeles to the
burgeoning Inland Empire. Thus, residential, commercial and
municipal users are drawing more of their supply from a mixture of
imported and locally developed sources.

Tips for Conserving Water

Pour leftover ice cubes into
the garden or on a plant.

Plant your garden with

succulents or native plants
that are accustomed to
surviving with minimal water
resources.

From the earliest days of U.S. history, finding and maintaining a

clean water supply for drinking and other uses has been a high
priority. Today, significant technological developments in
monitoring, assessing and treating water ensure a drinking water
supply of high quality for most people. Because of waters long
history, life-supporting properties and future use, it needs to be
protected from pollutants whether natural or manmade.
Ensuring a supply that sustains life for future generations has
become part of the social contract.
Where a communitys water comes from depends largely on the
foresight and planning of its founders and the historic use of local
2

From You Castilleja Upper School Green Team

Time your showers or play

a song to limit how much
water you use.

Install a drip agriculture

system for trees or large
plants in your garden.

Use appropriately sized

pots when cooking.

Let your lawn go brown

during the winter instead
of watering.

April 27, 2016

lands and water sources. Some communities, such as Sacramento,

claimed water rights early in their history in order to assure
themselves an adequate supply far into the future. Other
communities do not have access to adequate supplies of good
quality local water to meet their needs. Some of these communities
import water, sometimes over great distances, from state or federal
water projects or large water districts.
Public agencies and private water developers have built nearly
1,400 reservoirs in California to capture seasonal runo, protect
against floods and allocate water supplies throughout the year.
These reservoirs hold about 42 million acre-feet of water when full.
Most of the states rainfall occurs from December through April,
but the greatest demand for water is during the dry summer
months. The reservoirs capture a large portion of runo from the
Sierra snow pack, which is the states largest reservoir of fresh
water. In addition to water supply, many of the reservoirs also must
provide downstream flood protection. Consequently, large volumes
of runo pass through the dams in order to reserve storage
capacity for flood control. Once the flood season passes, the
remaining runo is stored in the reservoirs for later use.

Install a recirculating pump

in your pool or fountain.

Wash your car on the lawn;

water the grass and clean
your car at the same time.

Keep a pitcher of water in

the fridge instead of using
tap to ensure drinking
water is not wasted.

Find more tips for reducing and

recycling at Water Use it Wisely

Even as the available supply of water in California remains fixed,

the states increasing demand means water suppliers and water
users must do all they can to squeeze the most use from each
precious drop of water. This necessity becomes even more evident
in years when drought conditions exist and the water supply is
precariously balanced between urban, agricultural and
environmental demands.
Water conservation is an essential tool to stretch the water supply
or more accurately, to use the existing supply more eciently.
Water conservation is an essential tool to stretch the water supply
or more accurately, to use the existing supply more eciently.
Urban and agriculture conservation measures could reduce demand
by about 1.2 million acre-feet, according to the California
Department of Water Resources (DWR). Conservation helped
many communities pull through the 1987-1993 drought. In 1991,
several urban water agencies achieved a 25 percent reduction in
water use from 1987 levels.
3

From You Castilleja Upper School Green Team

Stay up to date of Californias

reservoir levels at The
Department of Water
Resources.

April 27, 2016

Urban water suppliers have developed and implemented water

conservation practices known as Best Management Practices
(BMPs). These include the installation of water-saving plumbing
fixtures and water meters on all new construction, public
information programs, municipal landscape water conservation
requirements and financial incentives to reduce water use. DWR
estimates that following urban BMPs could reduce annual water
demand by 900,000 acre-feet by 2020.

Get Involved
Sign a Petition!
Sign (or even write!) a petition at
change.org. Check out the petitions
below. A second of your day can be a
concrete step towards conserving and
protecting water resources.
Pledge to reduce you water footprint
Stop bottling Californias water
End the great water rip o
Make Crystal Geyser admit to their
environmental impact

http://www.islamforchristians.com/world-water-day-islamicperspective/

Coming up Later This Week

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Pedro_Reservoir

Thursday- Transportation
Bike, carpool, or take an alternate mode of transportation to
school. Bikers will have the chance to enter a rae and win a
succulent!
Friday- Founders Day
Enjoy the eco-friendly succulent centerpieces.