Listen To Your Lakes

From Great Lakes Wiki

Listen To Your Lakes is a part of Shedd Aquarium's Great Lakes Conservation Awareness Initiative in Chicago. The site features a Waterblog, and loads of information about Great Lakes issues like water quality, invasive species, water quantity and habitat protection.

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Here are some tips from the site on how you can help the Great Lakes:

Contents 1 Water Quality 2 Water Quantity/Use 3 Habitat 4 Invasive Species

[edit] Water Quality

   * Avoid using costly and dangerous chemical fertilizers and pesticides in your yard and garden. These chemicals, which are often overused, are carried in runoff from rain and sprinkler water into local storm drains that may pour into local lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands.
   * Use a professional car wash. When you wash your car or truck in your driveway, lawn or on the street, the soap and chemical cleaners drain into your soil or into the city storm-water system and may end up contaminating local lakes, streams, wetlands and the Great Lakes. Many car wash businesses recycle their water or are connected to their local wastewater treatment systems, which can process and remove the pollutants.
   * Install "Energy Star" energy-efficient appliances.
   * Replace ordinary light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs and adjust your thermostat by just a few degrees. 

[edit] Water Quantity/Use

   * Save money, time and lots of water — wait until you have a full load of dishes or laundry to run your appliance.
   * Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and you'll save 50 gallons of water per week.
   * Limit your shower to 5 minutes and you'll save up to 1,000 gallons of water each month.
   * Repair leaks in your sinks and toilets. Even repairing a slowly dripping faucet can save 5 gallons a day. A leaking toilet can waste up to 50 gallons of water a day. (Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If the color shows up in the bowl without the toilet being flushed, you have a leak to repair!)
   * When cleaning leaves or other debris from your lawn, driveway, or sidewalk, use a broom or rake instead of water from a hose.
   * Defrost food in the refrigerator instead of under running water.
   * Install water-saving fixtures and appliances in your home, including washing machines, clothes washers, faucets and shower heads.
   * Disconnect your downspout and direct your downspout to landscaped areas or catch rain in a rain barrel for later use on your landscaping.
   * Minimize evaporation by watering your lawn or garden during the early morning hours, when temperatures are cooler and winds are lighter. 

[edit] Habitat

   * Participate in local habitat restoration workdays and beach clean ups.
   * Use native plants in gardens and landscaping.
   * When visiting natural areas, leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
   * Learn about the importance of wetlands and other habitats that are near the Great Lakes, and how they support a healthy watershed. 

[edit] Invasive Species

   * When boating, be sure to remove all visible mud, plants and animals from watercraft, completely drain water from gear and watercraft, and give your watercraft a hot water or high-pressure rinse before moving it into a different body of water or storing it.
   * Donate unwanted aquatic pets to a hobby club or school instead of releasing them into our waterways
   * Seal aquatic plants from aquariums and water gardens in plastic bags and dispose of them in trash bins.