Tip #2 - Water Conservation
Conserving our natural resources is vital as the world’s population grows and pollution and contamination becomes more and more prevalent. There are simple changes that each of us can do in our day to day routine to help lower our water consumption and help save you money on water and heating bills.
1) Turning your water faucet off while brushing your teeth can save you as much as 5 gallons of water per brush.
2) Taking a bath in a full tub of water can consume as much as 70 gallons of water, whereas a quick 5 minute shower will only consume 10-25 gallons of water.
3) When doing a load of laundry or running your dishwasher, be sure to run them on a full load. The average washing machine consumes as much as 40 gallons of water. Better yet, if you’re in the market for a new appliance, look for the Energy Star label. The Energy Star label means that it is more energy and water efficient, and approved by the EPA.
4) While running your water, waiting for it to get that nice toasty temperature, you are essentially wasting as much as 5 gallons of water. Consider catching that water in a bucket and using it to water house plants, wash your floors or even fill up a bird bath in your yard.
5) Get a home water audit. Conducting a home water audit can help identify how you use your water, how to minimize your use, and ultimately help to save you money. For a quick guide to a self conducted water audit, click here.
August 19th, 2007 at 1:15 am
I understand that conserving water is very important. But, all these things followed by less people won’t make a great change. I also wanted to ask if we can use recycled water for plants and if that is a good solution.
August 20th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
I agree that water conservation won’t solve our water crisis, but it is a start. We need to be more aware of how our actions around our homes, businesses and communities can directly effect our ground water, well water, watershed, etc. I do think that recycling water is a good thing. I catch rain water in a barrel and use it to water my garden and plants. I use my water after boiling eggs or corn to water house plants. I catch falling shower water for the same. Again, this isn’t the big solution to our water crisis, but it’s definitely a start.