Individuals Making an Impact

On a smaller scale, much can be done to help deal with this issue. Individuals can make a difference. In the home, systems can be installed to make water consumption far less per individual. For example, the new water-saving toilets which use only 1.6 gallons per flush are a great improvement from former models which used 5 gallons per flush. Many cities are making an aggressive push to promote such installations, and the State of Hawaii is considering providing tax credits for people taking such ecological steps. On a national level, the federal government is making a push to encourage states to provide these kinds of incentives, and publishes a state-to-state list of ecological tax credits.
Drought-resistant landscaping is also becoming very popular and there is widespread awareness of utilizing the proper plants for each climate zone in order to keep watering to a minimum. Hawaii residents can log onto a website that provides suggestions for areas in Hawaii which would require drought resistant landscaping. Areas such as Kapahulu, Ewa Beach, and the Kona districts of every island would drastically cut back on water usage if they made use of plants which would require less water.
With individuals, it really has to do with raising the level of awareness so that people realize that each of us can make a difference. Education is the key to preserving our delicate ecology. If each person simply timed their showers, or better yet, took tub baths as much as possible, limited the amount of time they let water run uselessly (while brushing teeth, washing dishes, etc.) and made use of the many water-saving appliances that our now on the market, such as the new dishwashers and washing machines, our water usage would decrease greatly. Such investments are ones we cannot afford to NOT make. Such investments are not just an investment in our limited water table, they are an investment in our future.