 winter 2007 there is no time like winter to slow down and learn from the wildlife  soil and rain in our gardens these long nights are also great for dreaming up plans for the return of spring when the sun is absent so much it s hard not to be introspective and think about the profound impact of the sun thanks to plants the sun is the actual fuel for our every action and thought perhaps this is part of why gardening is so compelling read more whether remodeling a bathroom starting construction of a new home or simply replacing an old leaky toilet that is wasting money and water you may want to consider installing a high efficiency toilet het new het go beyond the federal standard of 16 gallons per flush gpf by using 13 gpf and are certified through the us environmental protection agency watersense program which uses a third party to test the toilets for both performance and efficiency unlike first generation lowflow toilets design advances enable watersense labeled hets to save water with no tradeoff in flushing power in fact many perform better than standard toilets in consumer testing if every home in the united states replaced one old toilet with a new het we would save more than 900 billion gallons of water per year equal to more than two weeks of flow over niagara falls looking for something entertaining to do with the kids during the busy holiday season check out our kid s section for fun activities and games that will keep those active minds busy and put a smile on their faces  jan 2527 build remodel landscape show planning a landscape or irrigation project this year stop by our booth to find out what you need to know before you hire the pros or get started on your own feb 1517 yard garden patio show did you know that over watering is the most common problem in home and commercial landscapes visit our booth for info on watering basics and other info that will make your garden thrive this summer mar 5 grow lean grow green free workshop for landscape professionals that covers best management practices for waterwise landscapes more details with the cooler weather comes the possibility of frozen pipes here are some tips to help you avoid the expense and inconvenience of frozen pipes during an extended cold spell find the master shutoff if a pipe bursts anywhere in the house kitchen bath basement or crawl space this valve turns it off be sure everyone in the family knows where it is and what it does disconnect and drain outdoor hoses  if you don t have a separate valve to turn off the outside faucets then wrap the outside faucets insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas hardware or building supply stores will have good pipe wrapping materials available have your plumber and water provider s telephone numbers handy check out our website for these and more conservation tips regional water providers consortium provides planning and management support for the portland metropolitan region s municipal water supplies contact us to learn more copyright 2007 all rights reserved  winter 2007  