Plant a Xeriscape

A xeri-what? If you live in an arid region, planting a xeriscape-landscaping with plants that are drought-resistant-can reduce the amount of water you use and save you another kind of green.

Converting turf to xeriscape can reduce a household's average monthly water usage by one-third and reduce lawn maintenance as well. For the average home, this could mean an annual water savings of more than 40,000 gallons of water and $175 in water costs per year.

If an additional five percent of U.S. households replaced their lush, irrigated lawns with xeriscapes, the total water savings would be exceed 250 billion gallons annually-that's enough to fill the 200 square-mile salt pan on the Death Valley floor with more than 6 feet of water.