Basic need
Water is a need, a want and a basic human right. Yet this basic resource of clean water is not available equally around the world. This grave inequality claims lives every single day, and the problem is getting bigger. If we all knew the ways to conserve water, more of this precious resource would be saved.
If we want to sustain life on earth, then we need to stop wasting water. Planet earth might be called a blue planet, but only 3% of the water is clean drinking water. That’s not a lot given the ever increasing human population.
We need to conserve water as best as we can. Below are some of my suggestions to reduce our water use.
Here are some simple ways to conserve water.
1 Doing the dishes
- Don't run the dishwasher unless it's full. Water saving on a half load setting is less than 15% of a full load.
- Don't pre-rinse your dishes when you load the dishwasher. Scrape it & stack it.
- Fix that leaky tap.
2 When cooking
- If you are boiling rice, pasta or vegetables, don't throw the excess water away. You can reuse it in other dishes like soups or curries. The nutrients or starch in the water adds flavour to the dish.
- It takes 17,657 litres of water to produce 1 kilogram of beef. The global average for producing 1 kg of pork is 5,988 litres of water. If you want to reduce your meat intake, then do feel good about the water you will save doing this. There's a separate blog post on eating in an eco friendly way - Check it out for more ideas.
- Vegetables and cereals also take a lot of water to produce. It approximately takes 1,608 litres of water per 1 kg of bread from wheat. So, let's cut back on food waste and save water.
- If you like cold glass of water like me, don't run the tap till the water gets cold. Fill a jug & keep it in the fridge.
Eco tip: Conjee
Did you know drinking boiled rice water is good for you? It’s called conjee and traditionally South & South East Asians have it for breakfast.
3 While doing laundry
- Wait till you have a full load of laundry to do as half load uses as much water as a full load.
- Don't wash clothes unless strictly necessary, especially your jeans. Don't throw everything at the end of the day into the wash basket. Less clothes to wash means more water saved.
4 In the bathroom
- Apparently 30% of water used in the house is in the toilet. The newer toilet cisterns have the dual flush option and this reduces the amount of water we flush. If you have an older style cistern or if you are not sure, then do install a water saving device. Depending on the size of your cistern, you could save between one and three litres each time you flush the toilet.
- Check if you have a leaky loo and get it fixed. Easy way to test it is to drop few drops of food coloring into the toilet cistern and leave the loo unused for an hour. If you see the color dripping in the toilet, you have a leak.
- Showers in general, are more water efficient, but not always. You can install a water saving showerhead or an aerated shower head. Or you can get yourself a water saving device that is fitted to the pipes that feeds the shower.
- Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth. If you are already doing this, well done!
- Fix that leaky tap.
Eco statistic: Leaky loos
Leaky loo wastes between 200 and 400 litres of water per day – that’s a jaw dropping 72,000 to 146,000 litres of water wasted every year – from just one leaking toilet – water wise
5 While gardening
- If you have a garden, make sure you use a watering can instead of a hose – a hose pipe can use up to 1000 litres of water an hour.
- Use mulch and bark over the soil, it will help to reduce evaporation by up to 75%.
- Check the weather before you water. If it's going to rain, then save your water and let rain do its job.
- Get a water butt for your garden if you have the space. Or simply leave a plastic box or a large pan to catch the rainwater.
Eco tip: Water saving devices
Water companies send out water saving devices for free. Check your local water company’s website on water saving devices to see what’s on offer.
6 Your wardrobe
You probably don’t associate water with your clothes. But to produce any kind of textile, water is super important. From growing fibers to manufacturing and even to recycling -water is necessary. So, here are some of the ways to conserve water with your wardrobe.
- Buy wisely when you buy new. Every kind of fabric comes with a vastly different water consumption associated with it.
My choice:
When you compare inorganic cotton vs. organic cotton, Organic cotton reduces water consumption by 92%. This is because of how Organic cotton is farmed, irrigated and manufactured. This is one of the biggest reasons why I choose to work with Organic cotton for things I make.
7 The big water companies
Around 3 billion litres of water is wasted by the water companies every single day because of leaky pipes. Even with the government issuing fines, this problem is actually getting worse every year. The reasons for this are so complex and beyond my understanding of why the water companies aren’t able to fix all the leaky pipes.
So, if you spot a water leak, write / tweet / call your water company immediately. Don’t leave it to someone else to do it.
If it happens repeatedly at the same spot, escalate the issue. Complain till it gets sorted.
Eco tip: Find your supplier
Use this link to find your water supplier by using the postcode: Find your supplier | Water UK
