SAVING WATER STARTS AT HOME

Water is one of the most important resources for us to maintain our health and well-being, which is why we should prioritize water conversation. Since it takes a lot of energy to treat water, water conservation can diminish climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

To meet our water needs today without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same, we should implement sustainable water management practices. In a nutshell, water sustainability means the holistic and effective management of our water resources.

Here are some sustainable water management practices we can start to implement at home.

1. Turn Off the Faucet When Not in Use

One of the most common habits everyone has is to let the faucet run even when not in use. Instead of turning it off when brushing our teeth, scrubbing the dishes, or washing our hands, we would rather have our faucets running and only turn them off once we’re done.

If we want to conserve water at home, we should start by turning off the faucet when not in use. This is a very effective way of conserving water that many of us fail to accomplish. Leaving the water running will waste about one gallon of water per minute or more if we leave it on longer and use older faucet models.

2. Use Every Drop

Another way to conserve water at home is to learn how to repurpose it. Since we use water in almost all of our chores at home, we should be resourceful and learn to use it for more than one purpose.

For example, the water we use for cleaning our fruits and vegetables can be reused to water our garden. We can also invest in a rain barrel to save runoff water from the roof and use it to clean our cars and driveways.

3. Upgrade Fixtures

The bathroom uses the most water in every household, which is why we should spend resources to reduce its water consumption. We’ll have better chances of conserving water at home if we pay attention to the fixtures present in our bathroom.

If our budget allows, we should invest in upgrading new bathroom fixtures. Our toilets account for about 30% of a home’s water consumption, and continuing to use older models will waste more gallons per flush. This should prompt us to invest in dual-flush toilets or EPA WaterSense–certified toilets.

Since showering accounts for 17% of our indoor water use and uses 40 gallons of water every day (for a family of four), we should also consider upgrading our showerheads. Regular showerheads use about 21/2 gallons of water every minute, while WaterSense–certified showerheads only use less than two gallons of water every minute.

Generally, older fixtures use more water, so it’s best if we invest in newer models as soon as possible.

Our Efforts Count

Water conversation is a long-term process, so we shouldn’t expect results from our efforts overnight. On the contrary, we should change our lifestyle and become more aware of how, where, and when we use water at home. As long as we remain consistent with our efforts, it won’t be long before we can have an abundant supply of clean and pure water without causing any damage to our natural resources.