The Drought Monitor, which collects data from 50 different weather indicators, have shown an increasingly red California since 2011, the last time the drought map was clear. ~ LA Times

On our recent trip to California, we asked almost everyone we met, who lived there, if they were concerned about the drought. Surprisingly many didn’t seem to be. Drought denial? GD Lynn Hasselberger does a nice Green Divas myEARTH360 Report on just what is going on with the drought in California. Listen up then read on for a great post about you can do, written by Green Diva Leigh. ~ Ed.

LISTEN:

If you don’t live in California, you may be wondering how you can help with the drought there?

Here’s a list of things you can do at home that can help everyone living in California.

1. Stop buying bottled water from these companies.

Aquafina, Dasani, Nestle, Arrowhead and Crystal Geyser these companies may bottle in many different states but they also bottle in California some from water sources that could be used for local water consumption. If we boycott these brands they may cease there bottling operations in California during the drought. Ideally this water should be available for local residents not shipped out to other states. (Even better, avoid bottled water altogether! ~ Ed.)

2. Don’t buy designer bluejeans.

According to NPR, 75 percent of the world’s designer blue jeans are made in California. The creation of blue jeans uses about 1,800 gallons of water to grow and create a pair of jeans. If you need to purchase designer jeans try and purchase second hand.

3. Purchase California wine from earlier years.

The production of wine itself does not use a lot of water compared to the creation of blue jeans but the crops do require water. Figures vary on how much water is needed to create wine, from seed planting to bottling, it is anywhere from three to 18 gallons of water per glass of wine. If you want to help California wineries stay in business purchase wine that was made in earlier years.

4. If you travel to California be mindful of your water use. 

While you are there take short showers and bring your own water bottle so you can use every drop of water you get. When you go out to eat try to eat vegetarian meals because meat production uses a great deal of water.

5. Reduce your almond and walnut consumption. 

Many people do not know but most almonds and walnuts come from California but also require a lot of water to be grown. A single walnut can take up to five gallons of water to be grown. While we all may love these nuts it might be time for us to cut back on how much of them we eat. Scroll down to see the infographic for more details about water use for California agriculture.

6. Grow your own garden. 

Food prices will skyrocket because of the drought in California. Certain foods may become scarce or highly priced so start a garden this year and grow some of your favorite foods so you can save some money at the grocery store. If you live in the right climate and can grow strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and other fruits and vegetables will help reduce your food cost.

7. Sign a petition. 

Millions of gallons of fresh water are used every year in California and fracking. We need to have a moratorium on fracking for many reasons the drought being the most important. Encourage Gov. Brown to saying no more fracking. Here are petitions from Moveon.org petition and Food and Water Watch.

Bonus:

Listen to part one of the Green Divas What You Can Do series about water conservation:

Learn more about water conservation here.

What other tips do you have on how we can help?

P.S. Here’s an infographic that illustrates the use of water for California agriculture…

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