How to Start Conserving Water Today
According to the Alliance for Water Efficiency, if every American cut their water use by 25 percent, the nation would save 2.8 trillion gallons in a year; household faucet leaks alone are estimated to waste 1 trillion gallons annually. Opportunities to save water are everywhere.
Here are a few examples for the home, office and lawn, extracted from Water Use It Wisely’s 100+Ways to Conserve Water (Tinyurl.com/100WaysToConserveWater).
Kitchen: Wash produce in a pot of water instead of running the tap, then reuse the water to quench house plants.
Bathroom: Save up to 1,000 gallons per month simply by showering for less than five minutes.
Laundry room: If city and county codes allow it, have a plumber reroute household gray water to irrigate exterior landscaping rather than losing it to the sewer line.
Lawn: Save up to 1,000 gallons a year by refraining from watering the lawn on windy days, when most of the water can blow away.
Landscape: Spreading organic mulch around plants helps them retain moisture and fend off evaporation, while deterring the growth of water-sucking weeds. Watering in the early morning, when temperatures are low, minimizes evaporation. Use a rain barrel for hand-watering and zone plants by level of drought tolerance.
Pool: Use a pool cover and keep water levels to a minimum to reduce water loss and additions of fresh water and chemicals.
Office: Conduct a water audit to see where it’s easiest to save water and put in place a water management plan to address any issues. Promote awareness through a company newsletter to encourage employee water-saving efforts.
Calculate a personal water footprint at WaterCalculator.org.