It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish! {Saving Energy, Saving Water: Part 5}

"If all U.S. households installed water-efficient appliances, the country would save more than 3 trillion gallons of water and more than $18 billion dollars per year!" 
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The types of appliances we use as well as how we use them can play a large role in our energy consumption and water use. This week, Frannie wanted to share a simple way you can help save energy and save water in your household:

Always run full loads of clothing in your washing machine and full loads of dishes in your dishwasher.

This dishwasher is not full enough for Frannie!
She knows she can save energy and water by waiting to run
the dishwasher until it is completely full.

This simple tip can:
  1. Reduce the number of times you need to run the dishwasher and washing machine,
  2. Reduce the amount of water you use, and
  3. Reduce the amount of energy you use!

How will you cut back on energy use this week? Share your thoughts with us here!

It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish! {Saving Energy, Saving Water: Part 4}

In the first week of the Saving Energy, Saving Water series, Frannie briefly mentioned that using energy efficient light bulbs is a good way to save energy and save water. This week, Frannie wants to share more about what she has learned on this topic!

Frannie with a LED, CFL, and incandescent light bulb.

Traditional light bulbs are called incandescent light bulbs. Incandescent light bulbs are generally affordable upfront, but they have a short bulb life, and they consume much more energy than their energy-efficient counterparts. This can make them a more expensive option in the long-run.

There are two main types of energy-efficient light bulbs: CFL and LED. CFL stands for compact fluorescent lamp and LED stands for light emitting diode. CFLs and LEDs typically use between 25-80% less energy than incandescents, and they last from 3-25 times as long (DOE, energy.gov).

Frannie replaced all of her old incandescent light bulbs
with LED bulbs in order to save energy and save water!

It is important to note that CFLs do contain a small amount of mercury and thus require proper disposal. You can find a place to properly recycle your CFL bulbs at http://search.earth911.com/.

Check out this chart from the Department of Energy (energy.gov) for more information comparing incandescent, CFL, and LED light bulbs!

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Have you replaced incandescent lights in your home with energy-saving CFL or LED lights? Share your photos and stories with us here!

It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish {Saving Energy, Saving Water: Part 3}

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE, energy.gov), "Heating and cooling account for about 48% of the energy use in a typical U.S. home, making it the largest energy expense for most homes." Furthermore, the DOE estimates that reducing air leaks in your home can save 10% on heating and cooling costs!

For this reason, Frannie wanted to spend this week focusing on saving energy and saving water by reducing air leaks in her home. To do this, Frannie researched easy ways she could insulate areas of her house that were a bit drafty.

First, Frannie noticed a draft coming through the bottom of one of her doors. To fix this draft, she installed a rubber door sweep. Frannie required the help of an adult to install a door sweep. If you don't have an adult to help you install a door sweep, you can achieve the same effect by rolling up a towel or blanket and placing it against the drafty area of the door.

Second, Frannie noticed another draft coming from her electrical outlets! Frannie was surprised to find a draft coming from her outlets, but after some quick research she discovered that this is a common problem in many older homes. She also found that the solution to this problem was quite simple! All she had to do was place a foam outlet insulator within the outlet. You can purchase these foam insulators at your local hardware store.

Finally, Frannie noticed that some of the windows in her home were also a bit drafty. To reduce the draft, she decided to place a plastic seal on them for the winter. To do this, she purchased a kit from her local hardware store and sealed the plastic with a hair dryer!

All three of these projects were quick and easy fixes for Frannie, and she is excited to see how much energy and water she will save! Now, she wants to challenge all of her Girl Scout friends to search for drafts in their own homes, and to save energy and save water by fixing the drafts! You can share how you have fixed drafts in your own home here.

It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish! {Saving Energy, Saving Water: Part 2}

This week, Frannie is saving energy and saving water by unplugging appliances and electronics that are not being used.

Did you know that a typical American home has 40 products constantly drawing power? Together, these 40 products draw almost 10% of total residential energy use! (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, http://standby.lbl.gov/standby.html)

You can help save energy and save water by unplugging appliances and electronics that are not being used too! For example, Frannie makes sure to power down her laptop and unplug it when she is not using it.

Another way to reduce energy consumption from idle appliances and electronics is by plugging them into a power strip. A power strip can be easily shut off or unplugged and can make unplugging multiple products at once (such as a TV, VCR, and entertainment system) an easy task.

Frannie wants to hear about how you are saving energy by unplugging appliances and electronics! What products will you unplug this week to help save energy and save water? Tell Frannie here. 

It's Water-Wise Wednesday With Frannie the Fish! {Saving Energy, Saving Water}

Did you know that the water used during electric power generation makes up 48 percent of our total water usage in the United States? That is because almost every time you use electricity, water is used to turn turbines, produce steam, or to cool equipment used to produce the electricity. Over the next few weeks, Frannie is going to share some tips that will help you save energy to save water!

This week's energy saving tips are about how to save energy with your lighting. 

  

Tip 1: Turn off the lights when you leave a room! Artificial lighting uses about 15% of the electricity in your home. If you're not using a light, turn it off! 

Tip 2: Open the blinds or curtains in your house during the day. This will allow you to use the natural light of the sun!

Tip 3: Use a lamp at night when reading or doing school work and turn off the main light in the room. Lamps usually use one light bulb when the main light often uses multiple light bulbs. One light bulb will use less energy than multiple light bulbs! 

Tip 4: Talk to your parents about using energy efficient light bulbs. For more information about which light bulbs will work best in your home, visit the US Energy Department's website by clicking here.

Do you have energy saving methods you use at home? Share them with us here!

It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish! {For the Leaders}

This Wednesday, Frannie wants to share a fantastic resource that is currently available on The Groundwater Foundation's website with all Girl Scout Troop Leaders and any other adults interested in doing groundwater activities with youth:

The Let's Keep It Clean Leader Resources webpage!

The Leader Resources webpage contains many different types of resources to assist adults in running groundwater activities with Girl Scouts or other youth groups. These resources currently include:

• Groundwater 101 Webinar
• How-To Videos for Nine, Fun Groundwater Activities
• Links to the Let's Keep It Clean Pinterest Page
• And much more!

Furthermore, Frannie and her friends at The Groundwater Foundation are always looking for ways to improve these resources and keep them current! If you have any ideas or suggestions for resources you would find useful, simply fill out this form here! We look forward to hearing from you! :)

It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish! {Water Travel Scavenger Hunt}

Frannie loves when it rains, but sometimes she wonders where does the rain go after it falls from the clouds? Frannie decided she could find out where the rain goes by doing a water travel scavenger hunt to find places where the water might travel. Below are instructions to help you do the scavenger hunt too!

What you will need:

• Writing utensil, markers, or crayons
• Paper 

What to do:

• Think of places around your home, school, or neighborhood where water might travel.
• Create your own list or use the Water Travel Check List below to help identify water's path.

        Water Travel Check List:

• Falls on the roof and down the gutters
• Runs into the street
• Soaks into the ground
• Drains down the storm sewer
• Hits the top of an umbrella
• Flows to a nearby stream
• Waters the garden
• Filters to the roots for use by a plant
• Falls in a bird bath
• Drank by an animal

•  (Optional) Do this on a rainy day. Follow a rain drop and check off the locations the rain drop goes on your checklist. If it's not a rainy day, follow the water coming from a sprinkler, a garden hose, a watering can, or imagine where a raindrop might go!



Frannie following the path of some raindrops.

•  After you have found places water could go, make a map of the journey water might take starting from falling from a cloud. See the example below:
  

 Click here to share your findings with us!