(Photo: Google Images)

The Buffalo Sabres are dedicated to the sustainability of the environment in Western New York and Southern Ontario through the “Blue & Gold Make Green Initiative”. In this new feature, Sabres.com explores elements to our environtment and explains what you can do to conserve these natural resources.

WATER
While 70% of Earth's surface is covered by water, 97.5% is salt water and 2.5% is fresh water, with less than 1% readily available for human world consumption.

What can you do?

• Fix leaky faucets and toilets (A small leak from a faucet can waste 50 gallons of water a day and a leaky toilet can waste 260 gallons a day.)
• Always wash full loads of clothes and dishes. (Washing machines use 30 to 60 gallons of water for the wash cycle)
• Install high efficiency showerheads, faucets and toilets. (High efficiency showerheads, which cost about $15, can reduce water use by 50%. Water efficient toilets use 50 to 80% less water.)
• Water lawns and gardens in the evening or early in the morning to avoid excessive evaporation. (On average, about 35% of household water goes to tending yards)
• Replant your yard with native wildflowers, shrubs, grasses and groundcovers.(Native plants are less-water intensive especially in arid climates)

• RELATED GREEN LINKS
  	Mission Statement:	... More!
  	Join the Green Team:	... More!
  	Green News & Notes:	... More!
  	Video Messages:	... More!

  Use fertilizers and pesticides sparingly and carefully. (Residential use of pesticides accounts for about 8% of all pesticide applications. Urban runoff accounts for about 14% of common water pollution and just over half of that is due to residential use of fertilizers).