Editor’s Note: I very much believe that it is up to us to make sure our children’s Earth is alive and well. We are the keepers of the future. If we live for today, that’s not good enough.

I could, and often consider, going on a mad tirade about it all. But, we all know that our planet is in serious crisis, and we are the culprits.

I’m also very fond of creature comforts. Plastic containers make cleaning up from dinner so easy. Disposables mean no mess for me later. Long baths, OK lots of long baths - my ultimate downfall.

Greening our lives is, in the end, imperative. But, it’s also a process - one that takes a change of habits, a switch of mindset and a recalculation of how we can make it work on a strict family budget.

Meet Bevin Clempson - a mom on a green mission, who totally gets that evolution takes time. Not many of us are prepared to pay $20 for laundry soap, replace our furnace or nix our daily throw-away latte all at once. One step at a time, that’s the surest way to make progress.

She’ll be here once a month revealing the latest adventure as she slugs through eco-parent in training.

She’s funny. She’s a bit hard on herself. She’s also here to pass along all of the cool tips and tricks that are helping her find her way in the Green universe while saving money and staying informed.

Here she is:

All right, I’m a water waster.

[head hanging in shame]

Water is an essential resource. It cleanses and nourishes our planet and us. For some reason I wasn’t respecting water. I was taking it for granted, big time. I shouldn’t take comfort knowing that I wasn’t alone, but I kind of do.

[shameful lass looks away]

It’s not that I’m thrilled about Canadians using unnecessary levels of water when lower levels will do. Environment Canada lists our average daily domestic water usage as 329 litres per person, per day. Double the use of some of our Western neighbours. Crazy.

I guess maybe it was nice to be in with everyone else, you know, following the pack. But, why not make a few quick changes here and there? Why not save money? Why not conserve water?

[shoulder shrug]

Why not, indeed! I began asking myself these questions about six months ago. Sadly enough, answers emerged during an incredibly lavish shower. With my high-flow shower head working overtime, I found myself staring at the drain thinking about all that water flowing down through the myriad of pipes and right on out the house. A gigantic dollar sign flashed before me and I promptly shut off the tap.

[yes, way]

Completely preoccupied with my wasteful discovery, I went about drying and beautifying myself. I just couldn’t shake water from my mind. I spent the morning thinking about ways to save money. My mind was continually racing and I was completely dumbfounded with my lack of observing something so costly. Then, somewhere around lunch, it occurred to me… we don’t pay for water. We rent and it’s included. Yahoo!

The water issue vanished. All that contemplation and self-examination about waste was affixed to a dollar sign, so I simply let it go.

[shaking of the head]

Sometime later, that pesky hydro bill arrived. Now, I had been wrestling with its enormity for some time. Still recovering from the shock of past bills, this one was too high after all my vigilant power smart tactics. I began scrambling for ideas to save more money because this bill was big, ridiculously big for two adults and a toddler.

Water! It suddenly dawned on me… water affects this bill.

[duh]

I immediately went online and sourced out some water conservation tips from Environment Canada’s Do’s and Don’t list. The list is pretty extensive and covers the kitchen, the bathroom, the laundry room, the yard, even the bush.

Then, through the Comox Valley Regional District Web site, I came across this handy little tool from Zerofootprint that calculates water consumption.

I feverishly plugged in my data, took a deep breath and scoped out the result. Egads, I sucked! According to my old, wanton water wasting ways, my household was using 137,677 litres of water per person, per year.

[avoiding eye contact]

Suffering from shock and feeling incredibly nauseous, I couldn’t help but contemplate water usage. I put my household under the microscope, examining the results until my head ached. What it came down to was a lack of perspective and plain old not wanting to put the time in to it. I’m not proud to admit either, but the not-so-willing-to-part-with-old-habits part really stings.

For a few days, I hung my head in shame, computed the water usage data at least a dozen times, and scrutinized. But, that sickening number didn’t budge and I still felt ill. So… I took a few Tums and began mapping out a plan to lower my water footprint.

Before my big discovery, water use around here was incredibly brazen. I was leaving the water running while shaving my legs, washing small loads of laundry on all temperatures, taking lengthy showers, and occasionally using the toilet as a garbage can for moths, spiders and other creepy crawlers. This barely skims the surface, but I have to save face at some point here.

Much to my delight, I did have some things right in the water saving department. The list was slim. Turns out that I am super great at turning off the tap while brushing my teeth, which, according to Go Blue, saves up to 8 litres of water per minute.

Okay, okay this isn’t even a list, but you’ve gotta give me something.

Today, a big green light of reason shares head space with dollar signs. I’ve made household changes to be water-friendly and, in return, am saving some money. I took stock of my less than thrifty habits, buckled down and proceeded to fatten up that “list” of mine. I was focused, frenzied and probably a little annoying, but hit pay dirt.

So far, the horrendous hydro bill has shrunk by about 65% percent.

While the switch from Winter to Summer months did certainly affect the hydro bill, my water conservation tactics were significant.

This awesome percentage sprouted from a combination of my perpetual power smartness and my newly acquired water saving skills, as shown below.

• Wash laundry only when the load is full,
• Wash all laundry in cold water,
• Reuse water from my son’s swimming pool to water flowers and trees,
• Turn off the shower when shaving legs, shampooing, and soaping,
• Wait to rinse dishes until sink is full,
• Water the lawn less,
• Turn off the tap when rinsing fruits and vegetables,
• Place dead bugs in the garbage can rather than using the toilet,
• Turn taps off tightly so they don’t leak,
• Wash vehicles only when they need it,
• Abide by the “when it’s yellow, let it mellow” credo,
• Wash dishes by hand, never in the dishwasher, and
• Watch the weather before watering the greenery.

Of course, there is more I can do. There’s always something, isn’t there? For now, my biggest challenge is getting the spouse to adhere to a five-minute shower rule. He’s really keen on his steaming hot showers, so I may have to utilize the low-flow toilet!

[just kidding]

In the beginning, it was all about economics for me. Conservation was simply the sideshow. What began as a nudge from economics has evolved into a genuine concern for the future of this planet and for my son’s future planet. My freshly grown green virtues have got me thinking, acting and saving.

I’m certainly not getting any type of excellence award for household water efficiency or uber eco-goodness. I’m just one girl doing what I can. I’m getting my feet wet and slowly wading in (without wasting any water, of course).

The Tums have been put away, my head is held high, and I just know that my water footprint is down, way down.

[huge grin]

And I’ve got a whole whack of extra money in my pocket to show for it.