Ways to Preserve Water
Teri Mitchell
HLED 152
Final Exam
Question #3
Here are ten simple things that we can do now to conserve our water and help keep our planet greener; 1. Turn off the water when you aren’t using it. Running water while you brush your teeth or shave is literally letting your water go down the drain 2. Keep cold drinking water in the fridge. Running the tap to let your water get cold is a terrible use of fresh drinking water. 3. Take shorter showers and install a low-flow showerhead. An average 5 minute shower uses between 15 - 25 gallons . A 2 ½ minute shower would cut that number in half. If you prefer baths, then fill the bathtub half as full as you normally would. 4. Wash vegetables in a small bowl of water instead of under running water. This goes the same for your car. A bucket and a sponge will save gallons of water compared to a running hose. 5. Only run the washing machine and dishwasher when you have full loads. 6. Replace your current showerhead with a low-flow one to reduce your water consumption by 50 to 70%. Using less hot water also reduces the amount of energy needed to heat up the water. 7. Buy a low-flow toilet. Just try this, sink a plastic bottle into your toilet tank. Every flush uses between 5 and 7 gallons of water! But if you fill an empty plastic soda or dish detergent bottle with water, remove the label, and sink it in the reservoir of your toilet, you can reduce that to 2-4 gallons of water for each flush. 8. Fix leaking faucets and toilets right away. Even small drips can add up to thousands of gallons of water wasted. 9. Buy powdered laundry and dish detergents. The liquid versions simply have water added to them, making them a waste of water, money, and packaging. 10. Collect rainwater. Use this water for your garden and lawn. Or don’t water your lawn at all; grass goes “dormant” in extended dry periods and will return to normal after a few good rains.
HLED 152
Final Exam
Question #3
Here are ten simple things that we can do now to conserve our water and help keep our planet greener; 1. Turn off the water when you aren’t using it. Running water while you brush your teeth or shave is literally letting your water go down the drain 2. Keep cold drinking water in the fridge. Running the tap to let your water get cold is a terrible use of fresh drinking water. 3. Take shorter showers and install a low-flow showerhead. An average 5 minute shower uses between 15 - 25 gallons . A 2 ½ minute shower would cut that number in half. If you prefer baths, then fill the bathtub half as full as you normally would. 4. Wash vegetables in a small bowl of water instead of under running water. This goes the same for your car. A bucket and a sponge will save gallons of water compared to a running hose. 5. Only run the washing machine and dishwasher when you have full loads. 6. Replace your current showerhead with a low-flow one to reduce your water consumption by 50 to 70%. Using less hot water also reduces the amount of energy needed to heat up the water. 7. Buy a low-flow toilet. Just try this, sink a plastic bottle into your toilet tank. Every flush uses between 5 and 7 gallons of water! But if you fill an empty plastic soda or dish detergent bottle with water, remove the label, and sink it in the reservoir of your toilet, you can reduce that to 2-4 gallons of water for each flush. 8. Fix leaking faucets and toilets right away. Even small drips can add up to thousands of gallons of water wasted. 9. Buy powdered laundry and dish detergents. The liquid versions simply have water added to them, making them a waste of water, money, and packaging. 10. Collect rainwater. Use this water for your garden and lawn. Or don’t water your lawn at all; grass goes “dormant” in extended dry periods and will return to normal after a few good rains.
Cited: Office of Ground Water & Drinking Water. (2010). Retrieved from US Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/sdwa/ Downing, N., McIntyre, G., & Ramsey, D. (2009). Green Tip - 10 Things YOU Can Do To Save Water. Retrieved from MyBadPad: http://www.mybadpad.com/