(Save Our Seas is a Federally Trademarked name)

In this issue:

-Message from the President of SOS

-Can one person really make a difference? YES!

-Clean Oceans '98

- Membership Information

Message from the President

Aloha friends,

Due to finite financial resources here as SOS headquarters, we regret that we are unable to continue mailing our quarterly newsletters to those whose dues are not current. We continue to place a priority on our middle school coral reef monitoring programs (Ocean Pulse) and community education videos. We are now airing SOS videos on three islands (Oahu, Maui, and Kauai) and the Mainland (Los Angeles). A list of videos produced by our Executive Director, Carl Stepath, and can be ordered through our main office at a future date. Some of these include: ³Coral Reef Ecology" (Trilogy) with Dr. Brian Tissot; "Reef Check," with Dr. Gregor Hodgson; "Seaweeds of Hawaii" with Bill Magruder," and "Geologic History of the Pacific Basin" with James Maragos.

Don't forget the Annual Clean Oceans Conference, June 12-14, 1998, on Maui. Call 1-800-SOS- 1437 for information on registration or volunteering. We need your help.

This guide contains something for everyone. Read the sections that interest you, and choose five or more actions that you can take to help prevent water pollution.

We can do our part to prevent water pollution by practicing three basic principles:

1. Reduce consumption. Don't buy or use more than you need.

2. Use environmentally friendly products.

3. Minimize outdoor use of soaps, pesticides, and fertilizers, especially during the rainy season.

PREVENTING WATER POLLUTION AT HOME AND AT WORK (IT'S EASY TO REDUCE HOME WATER USE BY 15 TO 20 percent AND SAVE MONEY!)

1. Conserve water: One of the easiest ways for us to prevent water pollution is to use less water, both inside and outside our home. And there's a bonus to conserving water: it can mean substantial savings on our water, sewage, and energy bills.

How does reducing our water usage prevent pollution? First, using less water for showers, toilets, laundry, and dish washing means there is less waste water to be treated and disposed of by waste water treatment plants. Second, using less water on plants and car washing means less runoff of soaps, pesticides, and fertilizers.

Most of us use far more water than we need. An average family consumes between 60 and 300 gallons per person every day. Much of that water usage is unnecessary. We can decrease water consumption at home by 15 to 20% without discomfort or expense through simple, common sense actions.

+ Eliminate leaks. Check for and fix leaky pipes, faucets, toilets, and hoses. Observe your water meter while no water is being used. If the dial moves, you have a leak. Check your toilet by adding food coloring to the tank. If the color appears in the bowl after 30 minutes without the toilet being flushed, you have a leak.

+ Use water saving devices. Install flow restricting showerheads, low flow faucets and toilet flushing devices; and use other water saving appliances. Place two i/2 gallon plastic bottles filled with water or sand in your toilet tank.

+ Wash full loads of dishes and laundry. Use the water saving cycle on your dishwasher, and appropriate water levels for laundry. This cuts the amount of water used by almost half.

+ Minimize use of the garbage disposal. Add your food waste to the trash or compost pile instead of putting it down the garbage disposal. Disposals not only use a lot of water, they also add solids to the sewer system.

+ Don't let water run in the sink. Turn the water off while brushing your teeth, shaving, or lathering your face and hands. Rinse dishes and produce in a bowl, and re use the rinse water for plants.

+ Water your lawn only when necessary. Water during the coolest time of the day to minimize evaporation. Aim sprinkler heads away from paved surfaces to avoid runoff. + Use a bucket and a hose with a shut off nozzle to wash your car. Wash your vehicle on a lawn or some other place where you don't create runoff into a street or storm drain. + Sweep (don't hose) your sidewalk and driveway.

+ Contact the Board of Water Supply to obtain water conservation checklists with more ideas on how to save water in schools, hotels, condominiums, and businesses. WATER SAVING FLAPPERS

-Did you know that the largest water user in your home is the toilet? Watersaving toilet flappers take two minutes to install and can reduce your water use by 20 to 25%.

Portions excerpted from"Island Stewardship," West Maui Watershed Management Advisory Committee and Hawaii Dept. of Health.