I Can't Imagine Why California's Down To One Year of Water Left

Under California's new "restrictions," everyone can still have giant lawns, golf courses, etc., and they can still give them unlimited water, but they can only do it about every other day. And there's little or no punishment for breaking the rules. Golly, I can't imagine why they're down to one year of water left.

Meanwhile, the corporate farms that use most of the state's water remain completely unregulated as they race to steal the last drops from California's underground aquifers, which would take decades to refill even if everyone stopped siphoning them tomorrow. Wildlife that don't have water pumped to their doorstep are dropping like flies. And climate change is making the problem worse, faster.

Gizmodo's Alissa Walker lists some water restrictions with teeth that would help make sure California is still inhabitable in 2017. But until California politicians are willing to force its farms to sip instead of gulp, the state will continue down the road to disaster.

60 Minutes took a look at California's looming water crisis late last year. It's a good story with one big short coming - it never mentions climate change.

Starbucks to Slash Water Waste

A nice move by Starbucks to dramatically cut its wasted water:

Starbucks Corp. is installing new water faucets in its U.S. stores that will allow the company to save about 150 gallons of water a day -- roughly two bathtubs' worth -- at each of its cafes after receiving criticism and as part of a green initiative.

The company said it will no longer run water continuously out of its taps to wash spoons and will instead install new faucets that meter out water. Baristas press the faucet once and high pressure water sprays out long enough to rinse a spoon. The faucets are now being installed in all U.S. stores -- a process that will be completed by September -- and will be delivered to select international stores in the fall. About 600 stores, mainly in California, now have the new faucets.

The wasteful water practices were first uncovered by The Sun last fall.

Cut Your Water Bill This Summer with Easy Lawn Tips

I've never understood the American obsession with the vast green lawn. It requires massive investment of resources -- time, water, fertilizer -- and in return you get a yard that looks like it would be great to do something on ... but you can't because the lawn is so delicate that anything but brief traffic could kill it.

But The Green Miles is a realist and knows he's not going to convince you to convert that lawn into a Backyard Wildlife Habitat today. So instead, here are a couple of quick tips to keep that iconic green lawn while cutting your water bill and your environmental impact.

• Use a soaker hose. The slow-drip is much more efficient than sprinklers, which can lose as much as 70 percent of their water to evaporation and runoff. One additional benefit - no spray means leaf diseases are kept in check. I don't know which brand is best, but here's a link to a soaker hose made from recycled rubber.
• Water before 8am or after 6pm. Water at midday and you'll lose as much as 30 percent of your water to evaporation.
• Water in short spells. Since you're just trying to saturate the top few inches, lawns absorb water better in a few ten-minute segments than in one half-hour stretch.

Grist has more tips for greening your lawn.