In today’s consumerist society, there’s very little attention being paid, in general, to the resources we use. Regardless if it’s clothing, food or water, people have now become less mindful than ever when it comes to what they buy or use. Having said this, the amount of water Americans waste every year, for example, rounds up at around a whopping 1 trillion gallons per year. This is typical because we simply don’t realize how seemingly insignificant water drops can actually add up to much greater amounts of water over time. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the steps each and every one of us can take to turn this situation around, while also bringing about a more mindful approach to our everyday lives.
Turn the Faucets Off
It’s incredible how much water can be wasted by only letting the faucet run while we wash our hands, brush our teeth or wash the dishes - the numbers are staggering. This is why it’s recommended we carry out these daily activities by letting water run intermittently, which is to say it’s best if we turn off the faucet while we actually rinse our hands, brush the teeth and get through another pile of dishes. Other than this, a leaky faucet that drips once a minute can account for 34 million gallons of wasted water per year. This is only theoretical, of course, since most leaking faucets tend to lose much more water than that per minute and, typically, there is more than one such faucet per household.
Be Mindful With Your Showers
It’s been shown that showers are also a huge culprit in the amount of water that’s being wasted on average, in any given year. By making a shift in the way we take our showers, as well as their duration, we can significantly reduce the amount of wasted water. To this end, cutting back on our shower time by just one minute, we can save up to nine liters of water. Additionally, we can switch to flow-regulated showers to improve our water consumption rates and become more environmentally-friendly. It’s a small investment that, once made, will start paying dividends in your monthly water bills.
Opt for a Water-Efficient Toilet
Using the toilet is another one of our daily habits that go unnoticed, but that actually accounts for tremendous water wastage. The solution to this is pretty simple and accessible - choosing dual flush toilets. They are designed with two buttons at the top, which enables you to choose how much water you actually need to flush.
You can either buy a brand new toilet or convert it yourself with one of the available kits on the market. There’s also an alternative to this - a tank bag whose purpose is to reduce the amount of water that goes inside the bowl when you flush. It’s also recommended to check your toilet tank for leaks using a temporary dye tablet, just to be on the safe side.
Be Careful With Your Garden Water Usage
Most homeowners will often water their lawns and gardens in ways that do not promote an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. For this reason, many households still have regular sprinklers that will water the lawn until they are manually turned off, which leads to an enormous daily waste of water, all across the globe. However, a solution for this exists, in the form of timers or smart sprinklers. With the aid of these, you can precisely control the amount and the time when you want your garden to receive the precious liquid.
Having such a system installed, will not only protect your garden from being overwatered, but it will also prevent you from throwing money out the window each month. In certain countries, such as Australia, water usage is strictly controlled through the use of restrictions and failure to abide by these can result in serious fines for the homeowner.
Only Wash Full Loads
Whenever you need to wash the dishes or do the laundry, consider only washing full loads to save up the water that would otherwise go to waste. It’s also recommended that you invest in high-efficiency appliances that are more economical in their usage of water, detergent and energy. Energy Star appliances have actually been designed especially for water conservation and energy efficiency purposes. Having said this, you can do your part in this equation by waiting for the laundry or the dishes to pile up, as to be able to get a full load on and conserve water that way.
The truth is we are going through an environmental crisis right now and more caution is needed when we carry out our daily tasks. We ultimately need to make a mindful shift from our mindless consumption of resources, of which water, obviously, ranks very highly. Fortunately, when it comes to making a change, it is within all our abilities to make the necessary shift in our current behaviors that will pay dividends in the long run.
Through everyday repetition, our bad habits can turn into good ones and before you know it, you won’t even think twice to turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth or take a shower. Big things have small beginnings, and by passing these good habits on to your friends and family, you’re guaranteeing that our planet will continue to have a fighting chance in the coming future.
Written by Theodora Evans
About the Author
Theodora is a passionate blogger from Sydney and she is someone you would call an IT nerd. Also, she takes great interest in psychology and helping people deal with their mental and anxiety issues. Besides that, she loves martial arts and enjoying the nature. Find her on Twitter.
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