Friends of Montclair Library

Photo: Sacramento Capitol During The Drought (7/10/14) by Kevin Cortopassi via Flickr

With our state in the midst of a severe drought, Californians have been asked to voluntarily cut back on water use 10%. The library might not be the first resource you think of when it comes to saving water, but here are 4 Ways the Public Library Can Help You Deal with the Drought:

1. Learn about water-efficient landscaping in the 635 section of the library…or even how to set up a home greywater system.

2. Use the library’s free public computers with internet access to look up some of these helpful websites:

• EBMUD WaterSmart (www.ebmud.com): Water-saving tips, instructions on finding and fixing leaks in your home, waterwise landscaping, rebate programs, and more.
• PG&E high-efficiency clothes washer rebate (www.pge.com): “It turns out that more than half of water extractions from our rivers go to cooling electric generators. Shockingly, the biggest way that you can save water is to use less electricity.” – OaklandWiki (http://oaklandwiki.org/Drought)
• Save Our Water (www.saveourh2o.org): Tips for conserving water inside and outside the home
• Official State Drought site (ca.gov/drought): Updates on drought news and water-saving guides

3. If you need to fix a leak or install a new low-flow toilet or other water-efficient plumbing fixture, borrow the tools you need from the Tool Lending Library.

4. Use the library’s Encore tool to search for and access articles and even podcasts about different perspectives on the drought from NPR to Hay & Forage Grower magazine.