Dear Harry

...How much water does the average household consume in one day? -- Waterlogged

Dear Waterlogged

...The average household uses 179 gallons of water per day. By just hearing this figure, surely you can think of a way to save at least one gallon of water today. Add in the cost of sewage and heating of water, and the total costs become staggering. There are devices like water flow restrictors, toilet dams and water saver shower heads that can help you to cut this needless consumption now!

Dear Harry

...While cutting wood with a chainsaw the other day, I noticed that my chainsaw began smoking heavily, as they often do. How much pollution does a chainsaw actually create? -- Stoker

Dear Stoker

...Running a chainsaw for an hour is the equivalent of driving a car 200 miles! If you think that is a lot, running an outboard motor for one hour is the equivalent of driving a car over 800 miles.

Dear Harry

...At what rate is the tropical rain forest being burned down every year? -- Concerned

Dear Concerned

...I don't know. I do know, however, that here in our own backyard stubble burning by our farmers is causing serious problems to both humans and the environment. Although some burning is necessary, most is not. This is a problem we actually can do something about. Let's get with the game plan! Write us with your ideas.

Dear Harry

...How much waste is caused by construction and building demolition materials that are left in our dump sites? -- Mario

Dear Mario

...Estimates vary, but most waste management groups say that up to 20 per cent of the total wastes in our municipal solid waste stream is made up of construction and demolition debris. About 1/5 of this is from roofing scraps alone. A lot of this waste can be used again.

The pressure on our landfill sites keeps building. Recycling has proven to be an effective way to reduce needless waste and alleviate some of the harsh punishment our environment now endures. The time is overdue for recycling to become a way of life for every household.

This column is dedicated to help us all understand what recycling is and ways we can practically carry it out. There are no other options!

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