it’s responsibility upon every global citizen to conserve water. When you make little efforts to save water right within your home, you can reduce your in-home water use by 35%. This means that an average urban household, which otherwise consumes 130,000 gallons of water per year, could save 44,00 gallons of water per year. The world currently has 2 billion households. Do the math and decide if your efforts will lead to something substantial.
50 Ways to Conserve Water
Here are 50 ways to conserve water and protect it from pollution
1. Don’t mistake the toilet for an ashtray or a dustbin/ wastebasket
Well, you might think it is cool or convenient to flush down ashes or other stuff into the toilet but every time you do that, you are in fact, contributing to water pollution. When you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other small bits of trash, you are turning normal water into wastewater and you are also contaminating your nearest water body with plastic. Discard them in garbage, or better yet, recycle them.
2. Put Plastic Bottles in Your Toilet Tank
A flush can be done with less amounts of water as well. When you flush with an unnecessarily greater amount of water, you increase the quantity of wastewater being generated. Conserve water by putting an inch of sand or pebbles inside each of two plastic bottles. Fill the bottles with water, screw the lids on, and put them in your toilet tank, safely away from the operating mechanisms and voila!
3. Get an Adjustable Toilet Flapper
Setting up an adjustable toilet flapper will help you adjust the water used per flush use.
4. Install Low Flush Models
Federal regulations in the US have clearly stated that new toilets must use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. So replace your old toilet with an ultra-low volume (ULV) model and save almost 70% of water.
5. Use Composting Toilets
Composting toilets do not require any water at all. They also keep all the nutrients and pollutants out of waterways, thereby preventing contamination.
Israel is 66% desert but the country has enough water to sustain itself, due to its initiatives in desalination & water conservation, reuse.
Read more facts: Water conservation and recycling in Israel
6. Wash when the load is full
Avoid using your washing machines and dishwashers after every blink of an eye. Wash only when the load is full. This way you will use less water and also prevent the creation of more wastewater (this planet has so much of it already)!
7. Choose a High Efficiency Washing Machine
Do you check the water efficiency of a washing machine before you buy it? If not, you should! Efficient washing machines use as little as seven gallons of water per load as compared to traditional washing machines which average at 54 gallons! That is some REAL water saving.
8. Install Water-Saving Shower Accessories
These include shower timers, low-flow faucet aerators and many more innovations available in the market. These are inexpensive, save water and are convenient to install. While regular showers use approximately five to ten gallons every unneeded minute, low flow accessories can reduce this number to 2.5 gallons per minute.
9. Take Quicker Showers
Well, the simplest way to conserve water is to cut down on water use during showers by turning it off after soaping up and then turning it back on to rinse. A quicker shower also does the trick. Quicker showers, quicker savings.
10. Fit Household Faucets with Aerators
This method of water conservation is easy as well as effective. To add more feathers in its cap, it is cheaper than any alternative out there. A simple low volume/ low-flow aerator saves water in the bathroom, while a swiveling one can work wonders for the kitchen.
11. Turn Off the Water In between brushing
We all waste a little water while brushing our teeth. But ask yourself, is there any need to keep the water running while brushing your teeth? Why not wet your brush and use a glass full of water for mouth rinsing?
12. Rinse Your Razor in the Sink
This might seem small and insignificant but when 1.9 billion save tiny drops of water, they save the equivalent of a sea. So all you’ve got to do is fill the sink with a few inches of warm water and rinse your razor in it. This will clean your grooming accessory AND save the running water.
13. Avoid using the kitchen sink garbage disposal units
The kitchen sink garbage disposal units require lots of unnecessary water to operate and they can ultimately affect the maintenance system due to the large amounts of solids deposited. Start using a compost pile to dispose solid food waste and achieve your goal to conserve water.
14. Choose a dishwasher over hand washing
Washing dishes manually wastes more water than running the dishwasher. Studies show that efficient dishwashers save almost 5,000 gallons each year.
15. Turn Off The Tap While Hand Washing Dishes
While you are hand washing the dishes, make sure to soap an entire lot before you rinse them. You’ll end up saving a lot of water. If you have a double-basin, try filing one with soapy water and one with rinse water.
16. Don’t Let the Water Flow While You Clean Vegetables
Rinse your veggies in a stoppered sink or a pan of clean water. Or even better, use a dual-setting aerator. They are huge plus to conserve water.
17. Keep a Bottle of Drinking Water in the Fridge
Many people run tap water to cool it off for drinking water. This activity is futile and wasteful. Instead, store drinking water in the refrigerator. It will save that streak of water which would otherwise have been wasted.
1.2 trillion gallons of sewage from household, industry, and restaurants is dumped into U.S. water annually.
Read more facts : Water pollution in USA
18. Keep Checking Your Faucets and Pipes for Leaks
A small leakage from a worn out pipe or faucet washer can waste up to 20 gallons of water per day. Larger leaks can take this number to hundreds. Keep a check for both.
19. Check Your Toilets for Leaks
Toilet tanks often leak while we are unaware, resulting in immense water wastage. So conduct what we call a litmus test by putting a little food color in your toilet tank. Don’t flush. If the color begins to appear in the toilet bowl within 30 minutes, you have a leak right there.
20. Keep Checking Your Water Meter For Hidden Leaks
Make good use of the water meter installed in your house by reading it after regular intervals when no water is being used. You can detect a leak right there.
21. Insulate Your Pipes
Everyone insultes their electrical wires but nobody thinks of insulating their water pipes. It’s easy and inexpensive. You can achieve this with a piece of pre-slit foam. You’ll get to conserve running water while it heats up.
22. Recycle As Much As You Can
Recycle is synonymous with productivity. For example, you can collect the cold water you run before it’s hot enough to shower and use it to water plants or flush the toilet. Thoughtful and conserving!
23. Go Vegan
Turning vegan can significantly lower our own water footprint. Studies reveal that our diets determine how much water we use. Going vegan can reduce our usage.
India has 16% of the global population and just 4% of the world’s fresh water.
Read more facts : Water conservation in India
24. Go Minimalist, Buy Less
Now that we are talking about our own water footprints, it is noteworthy that consumer products account for one third of most people’s water footprint. Buying less stuff can dramatically decrease your water footprint.
25. Don’t Run the Hose While Washing Your Car
Washing your car requires hundreds of water gallons. Right?
Wong! If you clean your car using a pail of soapy water and use the hose for rinsing, you’ve probably saved 100 gallons of water in one shot.
26. Prefer a Broom to Clean Driveways and Sidewalks
You have two options – either you can blast away leaves or stains off your walkways with water or you can brush them off with a broom. Which help more to conserve water.
27. Cover Swimming Pools When not in use
Your swimming pool need not be open ALL the time. It can attract dirt, be contaminated and even lose water due to evaporation. The best way to avoid all of this is to get your pool covered.
28. Check for Leaks Outside the House
Leaks outside the house are rarely noticed but they waste a lot of water and even add up to your water bills while you live in oblivion. Constantly check the outdoor pipes, faucets, etc and keep them leak-free.
29. Reuse Wastewater Whenever You Can
The water coming out from your house’s sinks, bathtubs, and laundry can be conveniently used to water plants. Agree?
72% of Japanese people try their best to conserve water.
Read more facts : Water Conservation and Recycling in Japan
30. Water Your Plants During the Early Parts of the Day
Early morning watering is better because it helps prevent the growth of fungus. It also reduce water loss to evaporation and makes a defence against slugs and other garden pests.
31. Use Organic Fertilizers
Using organic materials to enrich your soil will eventually increase its absorption and water retention. Also, it will significantly eliminate groundwater pollution. A compost of organic matter can be used on areas that are already planted.
32. Harvest Rainwater
You can use rain barrels or a catchment system to capture rainwater. You can then harvest this resource for watering your plants. Because plants prefer untreated water, your garden will grow healthier while you conveniently lower your water bills.
33. Use a Soil Moisture Meter
It helps you decide when you should water your garden because this resource can lose its charm if under or over watered. The soil moisture meter tells you when the soil is dry so you can water only when it is required.
34. Keep Controlling Garden Weeds
Weeds absorb water too! They compete with your real plants for soil nutrients and water. As a result, you will have to water more and more. Save water by keeping these garden invaders out.
35. Plant Drought-resistant Lawns
If you are planning to make a new lawn, or add to your existing lawn, prefer using drought-resistant grasses. An example of this is “Eco-Lawn”. You can also plant those shrubs which thrive on less water. They are water conservers and look beautiful too.
36. Plant native plants
It is a well known fact that native plants use less water as compared to the others and are even more resistant to local plant diseases. So plant more of these and also group them according to their watering needs.
37. Layer Your Trees and Plants With Mulch
Studies reveal that if you layer the area around trees and plants with mulch, it will slow down the evaporation of moisture and control the growth of weeds. Adding 2 – 4 inches of organic compost or bark mulch, press it down around the drip line of each plant and voila!
38. Carefully Position the Sprinklers
Your sprinklers must be positioned in a way that water lands on the lawn or garden and not on paved areas.
South Africa Targets 75% of all treated wastewater to be reused.
Read more facts : Water Conservation and Recycling in South Africa
39. Water Your Lawn Only When Needed
Step on the grass to determine if your lawn really needs watering. If it springs back up after you set foot on it, it doesn’t need water. If it stays flat, you must water it. Water the lawn only when it is required. You must also let the grass grow to upto 3 inches to help the soil retain moisture. Mostly, your lawn needs almost 1 inch of water every week. But we tend to flood them out of concern. But does this over concern lead to water wastage? The answer is yes! At a time when the world is headed straight towards a water crisis, we surely don’t want to do that.
40. Deep-Soak When It Comes to Your Lawn
When you water your lawn,do it long enough for the moisture to soak down to the roots because a light sprinkling will evaporate quickly, making the soil dry. Remember, deep soaking is the key!
41. Use Efficient Watering Systems
Place soaker hoses, install a rain barrel, set up a water catchment system or install a simple drip-irrigation system. Efficient watering systems for plants will nourish them and save a lot of water.
42. Plant your trees and shrubs in ‘Hydro-Zones’
Group plants with similar water needs. This will help you stop wasting water on ones that don’t need it. It will also simplify the watering process.
43. Plant A Trees in the Yard to Save Water
Now this one has many benefits. First, it will make your house cooler and second, it will lessen the need for watering by protecting plants and soil from the afternoon sun.
44. Keep Checking Your Irrigation System
If you have an irrigation system in place, check that it is operating correctly toward the beginning and end of each season.
Saudi Arabia utilizes treated waste water for landscape and agricultural irrigation.
Read more facts : Water Conservation and Recycling in Saudi Arabia
45. Cut off the water supply
Well, this does not apply to everyone! If you have a big mansion, cut off water supply to any areas which are not in use.
46. Install a dual flush toilet
Consider installing a dual-flush toilet. These new age tech-savvy toilets are great to promote water conservation.
47. Influence your peers
Speak to your friends and colleagues about how you conserve water and WHY you do it. You could be an influencer here.
48. Participate in Water Conservation programmes
Water conservation is a global need. Every part of the world is brimming with creative clubs and groups who aim at conserving water. Join one!
49. Do not litter
When you go sightseeing to any water body, avoid littering, no matter how convenient it may seem.
50. Use professional car washing services
Washing the car at home wastes a lot of water because we haven’t mastered it. Use car washing services instead.
