conservation

Today is World Water Day, which is an international observance of the importance of this limited and precious resource in our lives. You can check out this link to see if there is a World Water Day event in your city. However you're observing the day, there are plenty of ways you can save water each and every day. Here are some easy ways to save water in your home.

• Check for hidden water leaks at your house. Just recently, I realized that the piping for my home's deck spigot was leaky. I cut off the water supply to the deck spigot, moved more of my deck plants down to the patio, and now water the plants by hand. To get an accurate check of your water use, read the house water use before and after two hours, when no water is being used. If the meter does not show the same reading, there is a leak.
• Your toilet may have a leak, too. To check, drop some food coloring into the back of your toilet (the toilet tank). If the color begins to appear in the bowl within half an hour, and you have not flushed then there's a leak. No worries though — in most cases this is a cheap and easy repair.
• Transform your toilet into an economical, no-installation, low-flow toilet by placing plastic bottles in your tank. Take one or two individual-sized plastic bottles, put some sand in them to weigh them down, fill the bottles with water, and then put them in your toilet tank. You can save over 10 gallons of water a day with this simple method.

Want to know the rest? Then read more

Founded in 1979, TAMAR has released around 10 million turtles into the sea since then. The National Marine Turtle Conservation Program in Brazil monitors over 600 miles of beaches with 20 stations covering the country. Rescuers seek nests by following turtle tracks in the sand. If the locations are deemed dangerous, they're moved to safer sites or open-air beach hatcheries to protect eggs from predators, tides, or other dangers to survive.

Because of close monitoring, more hatchlings survive and are watched to make sure they are set free to sea. As the last post in the Thankful Week, check out tiny turtles growing safely, swimming around and getting fed special medicine.

See more Hawksbill Turtle pictures when you read more

Artist, sculptor, and furniture maker Alma Allen, who I've featured in a designer spotlight post, has partnered with the Mojave Desert Land Trust to celebrate art and conservation. Allen has created two bronze sculptures in editions of 50, each exclusively for the Mojave Desert Land Trust. The sculptures, a tortoise and a rabbit, are two of the animals that depend on this land for their survival. Seventy percent of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Land Trust's campaign to support The Quail Mountain Project.

To find out about how you can help, and to see more photos, read more