5 ways you can save water

Following up from last weeks blog post on the human right to water and ways for you to help, I’m happy to share 5 easy ways that you can save water.

I’ll keep it short and simple, because I know your busy and your time is valuable.

1) Conserve water

When your not using your water, turn it off. Done.

It really is that easy. For instance, when you’re brushing your teeth, you really only need the faucet running when you wet your toothbrush and again when you rinse your mouth and toothbrush. While you’re brushing your teeth, turn the faucet off. Get this, according to the Glen Canyon Institute, we use about 5 gallons of water if we leave the faucet running while brushing our teeth. Perhaps the same can be said for when we wash our faces, or even the dishes. Conserving water is easier than it sounds right?

2) Collect shower water

It’s easy. All you need is a bucket. Honestly it is. Here’s how you do it:

First, you need a bucket. Any bucket will do. I found a great bucket at the dollar store for, you guessed it, a dollar.

Second, place the bucket beneath the shower faucet to collect the cold water while your shower water is warming up.

Easy right? Each day, you can use that left over water for around the house water needs or even to water your plants. Pro tip if you use it to house plants: let the water sit for ~ 24 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate. Why? Tap water contains chemicals, such as chlorine, that are used to treat the public water supply. These chemicals are damaging to plants.

You’re becoming a water saving pro without even knowing it.

3) Own a water bottle

Don’t use plastic. The Water Project provides jaw dropping stats, this one stands out to me.

“Bottles used to package water take over 1,000 years to bio-degrade”

If that line opened your eyes like it did to me, check out The Water Project to learn more crazy stats about plastic water bottle environmental impact.

4) Be a leak detective

At home and at the office.

Check the faucets, the pipes and find ways to optimize the water conservation in and around your life. You’d be surprised at the impact you can make by bringing these habits to the workplace. Conscious water conservation is a great start 🙂

5) Share your water preserving skills

We can do it alone, but the impact on our conservation will make a dramatic difference if we do it in greater numbers.

Easy peasy mac n’ cheesy. You got this, and here’s something you can print out for simple reminders.