BLU - Venetian Night, Saturday, July 26, 2008
John G. Shedd Aquarium

Did you know?
If you limit your shower to 5 minutes and you'll save up to 1,000 gallons of water each month.

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Make a Donation

Support Shedd Aquarium's Great Lakes Conservation Awareness Initiative by making a donation. Your donation will help the Shedd increase public understanding about our Great Lakes and inspire people to take positive actions to help preserve and protect these amazing, but vulnerable, natural resources. Learn more about the Shedd’s Conservation efforts here.

Take Action to Help Preserve Our Environment and the Great Lakes Easy things you can do to help conserve our environment and the Great Lakes:

  • 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.
  • 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.

visit www.sheddaquarium.org