Turn the Water Off!

Check out our new video.  We make water conservation SEXXAYYY!!!  Then read below for more info on why and how you should slow your use of h2o!

Part 1 of our water-saving series.

Water is abundant on our planet, it is abundant in our bodies, however the availability of fresh drinking water is not all that abundant. As an American you don’t always have to worry about having access to clean water, yes maybe you worry about the water bill but what if there was no possibility of even HAVING a water bill??

Imagine walking to a well everyday and bringing water back in a bucket on top of your head. I couldn’t do it. Thank God I have plumbing and can take a shower whenever I please. Thinking about this makes me wonder about the people who don’t have this luxury. Feels like I should do something. I should conserve the water I use, be efficient with it, and advocate policies and procedures for helping people without clean, fresh water to gain access to clean, fresh water. Let’s conserve water. Time for some water-saving tips.

Haiti needs a new system for water. Read this article in the NY Times about it.

1. Buy some water conserving products for your household

1. Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or cleaning.
2. Verify that your home is leak-free, because many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
3. Repair dripping faucets. If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year which will add to the cost of water and sewer utilities, or strain your septic system.
4. Wash vegetables with a bowl underneath, then use the water from the bowel to water plants.
5. Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other such waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
6. Take shorter showers. Replace your showerhead with an ultra-low-flow version. Some units are available that allow you to cut off the flow without adjusting the water temperature knobs.
7. Use the minimum amount of water needed for a bath by closing the drain first and filling the tub only 1/3 full. Stopper tub before turning water. The initial burst of cold water can be warmed by adding hot water later.
8. Don’t let water run while shaving or washing your face. Or, you can brush your teeth first while waiting for water to get hot, then wash or shave.
9. Adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street.
10. Operate automatic dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are fully loaded or properly set the water level for the size of load you are using.
11. When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water. Quickly rinse under a slow-moving stream from the faucet.
12. Store drinking water in the refrigerator rather than letting the tap run every time you want a cool glass of water.
13. Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or by using the defrost setting on your microwave.
14. Kitchen sink disposals require lots of water to operate properly. Start a compost pile as an alternate method of disposing food waste instead of using a garbage disposal. Garbage disposals also can add 50% to the volume of solids in a septic tank which can lead to malfunctions and maintenance problems.

According to Charity Water: “Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war… Children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of unsafe water.  Of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation, 90% are children under 5 years old.”

In other words… turn the water off!