10 Eco-Friendly Water Tips to Help You Through Your Day

Water is one of the earth’s most valuable resources, it is also one that is intrinsic to life itself. Therefore, in honor of World Water Day 2013, which this year is focusing on water cooperation, I thought it would be good to share 10 eco-friendly water tips that can help you through your day.

To start things off though, let’s get you in a water cooperation and water conservation frame of mind by taking a moment to review this infographic covering key water statistics from around the world:

Now that you have done that, let us get onto the tips you can use to help you conserve, save and make good use of the fresh water we do have:

• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth in the morning (and at night).
• Limit your showers to 2-5 minutes. If you decide to take a bath, be sure to plug the tub before you start running the water, then adjust the temperature accordingly.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge. This will prevent water from running down the drain while you fill up cups and will also curb your use of plastic water bottles.
• Wash fresh fruits and vegetables in a pan or tin rather than leaving the water running while you clean them off.
• If you don’t have a water-friendly (aka water-wise) garden already, create one. Until that time, you can work on conserving water while still keeping a beautiful garden. One good way to start is to adjust your watering schedule to coincide with seasonal weather conditions.
• Use a broom, instead of the water from a hose, to clean off your driveway and/or walkways.
• Turn your regular toilet into a low flow toilet in just a few simple DIY steps.
• Use your compost more and your garbage disposal less. Adding compost and mulch to your garden, and around your trees, will also make it so you do not need to water quite as often.
• Refrain from using your dishwasher until you have a full load of dishes, and hold off running your washing machine until you have a full load of clothes. If you must run a smaller load of clothes, then be sure to adjust your water level to the size of your load.
• Opt for a waterless car wash rather than a traditional car wash, which can use between 80 and 140 gallons of water. A waterless car wash will help the environment, while saving water and money at the same time.

As there are still millions and millions of people who do not have access to clean water, the least we can do in honor of World Water Day 2013 is to take these 10 simple, eco-friendly water tips to heart. Hopefully, as a result, you will soon find conserving water becomes just a natural part of life.

Image by GaelForce Photography on Flickr Creative Commons