World Water Day is coming up in a few weeks (March 22, 2017) and I decided that now was the perfect time to share a few water conservation tips with you. With the warm weather fast approaching here in Georgia, water conservation is an important issue. You might be wondering how to use less water at home when your entire family is obsessed with long, hot showers. Well, it can be done! Every summer I see my neighbors sprinkling their lawns or washing their cars and I wonder if they realize how much water they are really wasting by doing this. Sure, they probably notice that their water bill is higher in the summer but do they care?
I really wish water conservation was a bigger issue. Without clean water, humanity would not survive. We live in a culture that is obsessed with cleanliness. I’m pretty sure that we shower and wash our possessions more than any other country in this world. Are we somehow healthier or happier because we are cleaner? Here are a few things you should know about conserving water and some affiliate links for products that you may find helpful.
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How to Use Less Water at Home
World Water Day is held every year on March 22 in order to bring attention to the importance of fresh water and encourage the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Taking an active roll in water conservation as an individual may not seem like it could accomplish much in the overall scheme of things but every drop we save counts. And even more important, the lessons we teach our children TODAY will have long reaching effects tomorrow. Teaching your kids how to use less water at home is an important lesson if you want them to grow up understanding their impact on our water cycle.
Think about This: The average person uses about 123 gallons of water EVERY DAY! If you were told that you had to limit the amount of water you used, what changes would you make to your life? Some areas of our country are having to resort to water auctions to decide who gets to use the limited amount of water available in the region. If it came down to watering crops for food or taking a shower, I am pretty sure that water conservation would become a more important issue!
If you want to do your part to preserve this precious commodity, here are a few water conservation tips you might want to consider. Try making this a family activity so that your children start to realize that water is NOT an unlimited resource!
How to Use Less Water at Home
1. Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full
2. Compost vegetable food waste instead of using the garbage disposal. Use a countertop composter in your kitchen.
3. Water your lawn and garden in the morning or early evening when temps are cooler to minimize evaporation. Use a drip irrigation system for additional water conservation benefits.
4. Consider ditching your lawn completely and switch to ground cover, mulch, stone or other low maintenance landscaping material
5. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk. Avoid the lazy person’s lawn manicure called the leaf blower at all costs
6. Replace your showerhead with a water-efficient model that has a lower flow than traditional ones. A water efficient shower head will save you a considerable amount of money.
7. Collect the water you use for rinsing fruits and vegetables and reuse it to water your houseplants
8. Check all faucets for leaks. Hire a plumber if you can’t fix the leak yourself with a simple faucet leak kit. You will save money in the long run!
9. When buying new appliances, choose ones that offer multiple sizes settings.
10. Upgrade older toilets with water efficient models
11. When running a bath, plug the tub before turning the water on, then adjust the temperature as the tub fills up
12. Use water from cooking vegetables on your stove to water your garden after it cools
13. Turn off your automatic sprinkler! Too often it comes on when it is unnecessary!
14. Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrub them
15. Mulch your plants so that they don’t need watering quite as often
16. Instead of washing your car in the driveway, use a commercial car wash that recycles the water. If you must wash your car at home, invest in a water saving hose nozzle.
17. If you have a newer model dishwasher, stop pre-rinsing in the sink. Most newer models are powerful enough to clean without a pre-rinse
18. Shorten your shower by just a minute or two and you will save a significant amount of water!
19. Aerate your lawn once a year to improve water absorption. A simple lawn aerator will significantly improve the health of your lawn.
20. Keep a bucket in the shower to catch water as it warms up or runs. Use this water to flush toilets or water plants.
Water conservation is an issue that every single person should begin to take more seriously. Knowing how to use less water at home will help you significantly reduce your carbon footprint. If you would like more information about water conservation or the state of our nation’s waterways, check out the Environmental Protection Agency.
Do you have any water conservation tips you would like to share?
Like this post? Try this one!
How to Conserve Water in the Kitchen
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
Really great tips! One of the things I can’t live without now is my rain barrel. I use it for watering my garden and any outdoor jobs.
I’ve added this page to my StumbleUpon! 🙂
I really want a rain barrel but all my garden beds are uphill from my house and not sure how to get the water from the barrel to my plants without a lot of walking back and forth with a bucket!
I can’t believe the average person uses 123 gallons of water a day! That is totally absurd. Thank you for the conservation tips – they’re all great!