Until today, it’s been illegal for North Carolinians to water their lawns with gray water. But it looks like the extended drought and water restrictions have been enough to change lawmakers’ minds. According to the The News and Observer, state officials will “tweak state laws that suggest it’s an illegal practice” to reuse gray water from bathing or washing dishes.

So if you’re trying to conserve water, and you live in North Carolina, feel free to grab a bucket and collect and reuse gray water from washing dishes or bathing or taking a shower (perhaps a Navy shower? Yeah?). Dump it on your yellow, withered stalks of grass, pour it under a brown, crackly bush, or use it to wash yo’ dusty car. Just remember, you can do this with GRAY water, but please don’t reuse BLACK water (water from toilets). That’s still illegal in “The Old North State”.

Far too often, when people hear the terms “eco-friendly” or “green“, they think of “tree-hugging liberals”. Even in the news, environmental ideas are touted (or degraded) because of perceived connections with “the far left”. This is bad logic, to think that only Starbucks-drinking, Mac-blogging, futuristic-glasses-wearing eco-hipsters (and hippies) care about the environment. Why must people be lumped into either Conservatives or Liberals? I guarantee you that the vast majority of people, whether they know it or not, have a mix of opinions that have elements of liberalism, conservatism, and perhaps even joeism.

Apolitical Reasons to Live Greener

• It saves money. By using resources more efficiently, we spend less money. Better miles per gallon = save money on gas, better insulation = save money on heating/air conditioning, etc.
• Makes our country stronger. USA #1!!!! By investing in research in alternative energy (solar, wind, tidal), the good ol’ U.S.A. can help supply its growing energy-needs while cutting energy costs. Plus, we won’t be sending a bajillion dollars to such repressive regimes such as Saudi Arabia and Mr. Chavez.
• Leave the world in good shape for the future. Everyone wants their kids (and grandkids) to live in a t-riffic world. By conserving wetlands, forests, and nature in general, we can bequeath a pristine Earth for future generations.

Since most of y’all probably stopped reading awhile ago, I’ll cut this short and stop here. Let me know if you think of other non-political reasons for gettin’ green.