A garden hose can use seven to 10 gallons of water per minute. Sweeping or raking means saving between 625 and 2,500 gallons of water each year. If every household in America tha... read full tip

A garden hose can use seven to 10 gallons of water per minute. Sweeping or raking means saving between 625 and 2,500 gallons of water each year. If every household in America that had a yard or lawn stopped using a hose to clean their driveways or sidewalks for a year, we'd save enough water to supply the entire state of Kansas with water for three weeks.

If you rake, you're not just saving water-you can reduce waste, too. Add your yard waste to your composting pile. Don't have one? Some municipalities also offer fall leaf collection programs, making sure that the organic matter gets to a composting facility instead of taking up precious landfill space.