Could you ever imagine that someday we may have no water on earth? It’s too hard to imagine that right?
What with all the rivers, oceans, seas and other water bodies that we have, how can we ever run out of water?
The hard truth is that water is finite. We no longer have water being produced. According to scientists, the amount of water that we have in the world today is the same amount of water that it has always had. That means that our water levels are never going up, just down.
Forget the oceans and seas. Only 1.2% of the water in these water bodies is surface water and fresh clean water for our consumption.
Fresh clean water is becoming less and less accessible for most people around the world.
It is predicted that by the year 2030, 50% of the global population will be struggling to access fresh clean water.
It’s quite clear that the time to learn (and practice) how to save water is NOW.
Water Conservation Facts Worth Knowing
Water is important. That’s a given. But to show you really how important and why we must invest our time and effort into water conservation, check out some of these facts:
- There’s a lot of water on earth but less than 2% of it is fresh water. And, only 1% of the water on Earth is available to us for drinking.
- The average American uses between 140-170 gallons of water a day. Of this, 10% of your indoor “water footprint” each day ends up wasted due to leaks.
- At home, we consume the most water when showering and bathing. Flushing a toilet isn’t far behind either, and it can add up to nearly 20 gallons a day.
- Our diets are pretty water-dependent too. It is estimated that it can take around a 1000 gallons a day (per person!) to produce the average American diet.
- Fashion choices are very water-heavy as well. Did you know Americans go through about 35 pounds of cotton material each year but to produce just 1 pound of cotton, it can take about a 100 gallons of water?
Eye-opening? There’s so much more. But for now, let’s jump into a bit more detail about why we really should be conserving water.
Why We Should Conserve Water
Haven’t given water-saving much thought? What’s the big deal about saving water anyway?
Here’s some food for thought:
We need water for almost everything
From bathing, showering, cooking, gardening, cleaning and even drinking – we need water for almost everything we do in our lives.
Water is so important for our bodies that we can only stay alive for at most 7 days without it.
Water grows our food
Our fruits, veggies and other produce, need water to grow. For us to continue enjoying sustainable living we need to learn how to save water.
To paint a very grim picture, without water, no food will grow and the population will starve to death.
To protect the ecosystem and wildlife
Like us, all animals and plants also need water to survive. Every species on this planet needs water to live and survive.
Water is essential to the sustainability of the entire ecosystem. Without water, aquatic animals and plants will die and so will the wildlife.
You will save money
Utilizing different ways to save water will save the world liters of water every year and you’ll save yourself some money too.
The less water you use for your daily needs, the less money you’ll have to pay for your water bill.
Our water supply is already limited
Contrary to popular belief, only 0.03% of the water in the world is fresh water. As the population continues to increase, the more water we waste, the less water we’ll have for our consumption.
We must learn how to save water and conserve the limited supply we have.
It helps save energy
The more we conserve water the more energy we save. Energy is required to pump water from a central facility into your home.
California, for instance, consumes about 6.5 per cent of energy to move water from one place to another. By saving water the water company will use less energy and this means less carbon emission.
26 Ways to Conserve Water
We don’t need to get to that point where we have no more water for our needs. If you and I can commit today to make important choices each time that we use water, we can make sure we push our water reservoirs even further.
There are lots of big and small ways that you can save water around the home whether that’s creating new habits or utilizing more eco-friendly products. We bring you 26 simple tips.
You don’t have to implement all 26 tips to saving water right away. Start off with a couple of things that are achievable for you right away and then add a new thing whenever you’re ready. Gradually, this environmentally friendly attitude will become second nature to you,
1. Shower bucket
So much water goes down the drain and into waste as you shower. Reduce this waste by placing a bucket under the faucet while you wait for your shower water to heat up.
Use the water collected in the bucket to water your plants or to flush your toilet.
2. Fix your leaks
That tiny drop coming from your kitchen tap adds up to litres of water going to waste. Get a plumber or fix any leaks around the house yourself and save water.
3. Head to the car wash
Washing your car at home with a hose uses more water than if you took it to a carwash. Better still, take it to a car wash that recycles the water.
4. Cut your showers short
Old showerheads use up to 20 litres of water per minute. The more time you spend in the shower the more water you use. Start taking shorter showers to reduce the amount of water you use.
Another way to save water as you shower is to turn off the shower as you soap up, then turn it back on to rinse yourself.
5. Choose efficient fixtures
If you’re looking for ways on how to save water at home consider installing efficiency enhancing fixtures.
Aerate your faucets, get a low-flow toilet, install a low-flow showerhead and use a Water Sense-rated dishwasher and washing machine. All these will save water big time.
6. Shrink your lawn
Reduce the size of your lawn or even do away with it. Instead, have a xeriscaped landscape which requires less water to maintain.
This is because it uses succulents and other plants that thrive in drought conditions. If you must have a lawn, use drought-resistant grasses such as “Eco-Lawn”.
7. Don’t run the dishwasher or washing machine until it’s full
Do you prefer putting your dirty dishes in the washer as you use them? While this is a great way to maintain a sparkly kitchen, so much water goes to waste.
Instead, run your dishwasher or washing machine only when it’s full.
8. Keep an eye on your bill to spot leaks
Have you noticed a sudden spike in your water bill? There’s a good chance that you have a leak somewhere. Get a plumber to check your pipes for any leaks and save water and cash.
9. Install a rain barrel
A lot of rainwater goes to waste. Harvest roof water from gutters and downspouts and use it to water your plants instead of using your hose or sprinkler.
10. Water outdoor plants in the early morning
You’ll need less water for your outdoor plants in the morning as the temperatures are cooler. Less water is lost to evaporation in the morning compared to evenings.
Watering your plants in the evening is also discouraged as it can promote mold growth.
11. Hand-wash a lot of dishes
When washing lots of dishes, fill up your sink with water, instead of letting it run as you scrub each piece of utensil.
Related article: Green Cleaning: The Ultimate Guide to Environmentally Friendly Recipes & Products
12. Wash Fido outdoors
Wash your puppy outside as you water your lawn. Get a gentle soap that will not be harmful to your plants.
13. Turn off faucets
Practice turning off your faucets at every opportunity. Don’t let your faucet run endlessly as you wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash your hands or shave. Turn it on only when necessary.
14. Use every drop. Learn to repurpose water
Have you been wondering how to save on water bill? Reuse your water. You can reuse water at home in so many ways. Rinsing your veggies and fruits? Save the water under your colander and use it to water your garden.
Divert water from your shower drain for flushing the toilet. Reconnect the drain from your washing machine so that excess water from a rinse cycle drains into a larger container and is recycled.
15. Consider a smaller dishwasher
If you don’t have too many dishes to clean at a go, consider getting a double-drawer model dishwasher. It uses less water per load.
Another way to save water when washing dishes is to scrape dishes instead of rinsing them before loading.
16. Buy a high-efficiency washer
Your washer accounts for more than 20 per cent of water use around the home. Reduce the amount of water you use doing your laundry by getting a front-loading machine. An Energy Star–certified machine will save you even more.
17. Cover up your pool
A pool cover reduces evaporation and retains a heated pool’s temperature. A pool cover cuts the amount of pool replacement water by approximately 30 to 50 per cent.
18. Water by hand
Water your small garden by hand instead of using a hose. Hand watering uses 33 per cent less water than automatic irrigation systems.
19. Install water-saving showerheads
Low-flow showerheads use less than 10 litres of water per minute. Restrictors also reduce the amount of water flow on your showerhead.
Consider installing a ShowerStart, or add a ShowerStart converter to your current showerheads. A ShowerStart will automatically pause a running shower once it gets warm.
20. Keep a bottle of drinking water in the fridge
It’s common practice to run tap water to cool it off for drinking water. You don’t even think about it. You just do it.
But, it is wasteful. To save water, store drinking water in the fridge in a reusable drinking bottle.
21. Eat less water-intensive foods
Our food accounts for about half of all the water we use. Some foods are more water-intensive than others.
Beef, for instance, is one of the most water-intensive foods. Add more plant-based foods and less of animal products to your diet and shrink water wastage significantly.
22. Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and sidewalks
Use a broom to loosen dirt and grime before you start cleaning your walkway. This will reduce the amount of water you use to blast leaves or stains off your walkways with water.
23. Water your lawn only when it needs it
You don’t have to water your lawn every day. Do it only when it needs it. To know if your lawn needs watering, step on the grass. If it springs back up when you move, it has enough water to last a couple more days. If it stays flat, then it is ready for watering.
Also, let the grass grow taller, about 3 inches. This will promote water retention in the soil reducing the number of times you have to water your lawn.
24. Place a cistern-displacement device in your toilet tank
This will reduce the amount of water used per flush. To do this, put pebbles or sand inside two plastic bottles, fill the bottles with water, screw on the lids, and place them safely in your toilet tank. Be careful not to place them on the operating mechanisms.
25. Get a low-flush toilet
A household flushes the toilet on average 5,000 times per year. Modern dual-flush systems use just 4-6 litres of water compared to 13 litres for each old-style single flush. If you have the old-style toilet replace it with a low-flush one and save water.
26. Steam your veggies
Steam your food instead of boiling it. Steaming uses less water than boiling. It also retains more of the natural nutrients. If you still wanna boil your food, reuse the leftover water to make soups or to water plants once it cools off.
There you go. 26 different ways you can contribute to using less water… and as you can see – it’s not that hard!
We couldn’t survive without water. Practicing how to save water should become part of the everyday family routine. If you commit just a little extra effort each day you alone can make a difference.
Which of these tips are you going to start with? Let us know in the comments!
