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We have a little quiz for you, o planetary students. There won't be anything too hard on it. No physics questions about whether the Top Quark constantly has to watch his back, or whether the federal government really can spend money at the speed of light. Not even why electronics engineers can give us clear video of guided missiles flying down chimneys but our TV reception is still lousy without a cable or satellite feed....
The quiz focuses on water usage. It's designed to help you evaluate how much water you're using, and you get bonus points for the things you do to save water. At the end of the quiz, you can tally up your score and see how you did. If you prefer to print the quiz out, you can download a PDF version. (To save it to your hard drive, right click on the link and do Save Target As.) Tip: If you want to go through the quiz fast, focus on the colored (non-gray) parts.
The water quiz is one of 14 sections from EarthScore, a quiz-style guide that helps you understand and improve your environmental impacts and actions. You can get a copy of the complete EarthScore guide at Morning Sun Press.
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THE WATER QUIZ (from EarthScore)
Start your Impact score at 0.
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My watered lawn and garden space (excluding food gardens) is ______.
| less than 200 sq.ft. |
2 |
| 200-500 sq.ft. |
4 |
| 500-1,000 sq.ft. |
8 |
| 1,000-3,000 sq.ft. |
16 |
| more than 3,000 sq.ft. |
32 |
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Score Adjustment
If you have water-saving grasses such as buffalo grass, wheatgrass, zoysia grass, tall or fine fescue, or bermuda grass, reduce your score for Question 1 by one level.
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Lawns and gardens commonly account for 80% of the water used in a suburban household. A week of watering the various lawns listed to the left would take a minimum of 100, 200, 500, 1,000 and 2,000 gallons of water, respectively. Inefficient watering or hot spells could double these numbers.
Decreasing the frequency of your lawn mowing will also help reduce water needs, since mowing puts the grass under stress. Raising the blade of your mower to at least three inches will maintain longer leaf surfaces of the lawn and thus require less water to keep green and healthy.
Watering in the early morning or at night reduces the amount of water that evaporates before water gets into the soil. |
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Choose your swimming pool status.
| I do not have a swimming pool |
0 |
| I have a swimming pool that doesn't leak |
4 |
| I have a swimming pool that leaks some |
6 |
| I have a swimming pool that leaks a lot |
8 |
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About one in twenty pools leaks. Just a small leak in a pool can result in the loss of 700 gallons of water per day. If your pool loses more than a quarter inch of water per day (or half an inch in hot, dry regions), you probably have a leak.
A swimming pool loses no more water through evaporation than an average lawn of the same dimension. Covering the pool may help reduce water loss due to evaporation by up to 90%.
To determine the number of gallons your pool uses per day (both evaporation and leakage), use one of the following formulas:
For rectangular pools:
pool length (in feet)
x pool width (in feet)
x inches of water lost per day
x .6233
For round pools or spas:
diameter (in feet)
x diameter (in feet) (yes, again)
x inches of water lost per day
x .48929
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I use ______ water to wash my car and other outside things, like my patio.
| no |
0 |
| a little |
1 |
| a moderate amount of |
2 |
| a lot of |
3 |
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Check for leaks in your hoses and use nozzles that completely turn off the water when the hose is not in use to minimize the waste of water.
Consider going to a car wash
instead of doing it yourself.
They usually are much
more efficient in terms
of water use.
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Leaky faucets or pipes in my house or on my property cause ______ waste of water.
| no or very little |
0 |
| a little |
2 |
| some |
4 |
| a fair amount of |
6 |
| extensive |
8 |
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A small leak from a faucet can waste 50 gallons of water per day.
A leaky toilet can waste 8,000 gallons a month. To identify a toilet leak, put some food coloring in the tank. If it shows up in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak.
Regular-flow toilets use 5-7 gallons per flush. This amount can be reduced by installing a plastic bottle or dam. Or replace the toilet with a low-flow model.
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Add together your scores from the four Impact questions and see where you fall in the Impact rating scheme.
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7 or less
8-10
11-20
21-30
31-35
36-45
46-50
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You're an Eco-Titan
You're an Eco-Hero
You're an Eco-Mentor
You're an Eco-Average Citizen
You're an Eco-Frankenstein
You're an Eco-Sherman Tank
You're an Eco-Tyrannosaurus rex. Eeeek!
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Now, on to the Action questions — and another chance to score well ! Start from 0 again and add points as specified by the sections below.
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By using strategies such as planting drought resistant lawn and garden plants (xeriscaping), using efficient watering systems (such as drip irrigation), and planting trees, I have reduced my water consumption ______.
| not at all |
0 |
| a little |
3 |
| moderately |
6 |
| significantly |
9 |
| greatly |
12 |
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Xeriscaping is an innovative strategy that significantly reduces lawn and landscaping water usage and prevents pollution from unnecessary use of fertilizers and the like.
The xeriscape approach takes into account planning and design, soil and turf area analysis, suitable plant selections, efficient irrigation practices and systems, and the use of mulches.
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I have installed low-flow shower heads and low-volume flush devices on my toilets.
| None of the above is true |
0 |
| One of the above is true |
1 |
| Two of the above are true |
2 |
| This is true of all of my showers and toilets |
3 |
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Faucet aerators reduce flow by 50% yet maintain good pressure and cost just a few dollars apiece. Look for devices that deliver 0.5-1 gallon per minute.
A low-flow shower head uses no more that 2.5 gallons per minute at standard residential water pressure. This represents about a 50% reduction in water use compared to a standard shower head. A low-flow shower head costs about $10-$20 but pays for itself in just a few months.
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I have invested ______ in water-saving technologies such as gray water systems and ultra-low-flow toilets.
| nothing or very little |
0 |
| a little |
2 |
| moderately |
4 |
| extensively |
6 |
| very extensively |
8 |
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A gray water system utilizes rinse water from the house for watering lawns and gardens.
An ultra-low-flow toilet uses no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Composting toilets are another alternative.
Real Goods Trading Company
– Gray water systems – search
for "grey" (with an 'e'!)
– Toilet stuff – search for 'toilet'
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I make ______ effort to conserve water by doing such things as minimizing my shower flow and flushing every other time I use the toilet.
| no or very little |
0 |
| some |
1 |
| a moderately good |
2 |
| a really good |
3 |
| a great |
4 |
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Add together your scores from the four Action questions and see where you fall in the Action rating scheme.
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0-2
3-7
8-13
14-26
27 or more
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You could do better.
You are good.
You are very good.
You are excellent!
You are awesome!!
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Finito!
The author of EarthScore is Donald Lotter; the publisher is Jack Howell/Morning Sun Press. The complete EarthScore guide features 14 sections on topics such as energy usage, transportation habits, stuff you buy, and family planning. It serves as a guide to help you see how eco-friendly you are and develop strategies to improve. To purchase a copy ($5.00), please visit Morning Sun Press.
(NOTE: Grinning Planet has no financial interest; only a do-good interest!) |
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