Overthrown presidents, wars, death, and national emergencies—it might seem strange that these drastic outcomes could be due to something as basic as water. But because economies and lives depend on this fundamental liquid, its shortage is nothing to be glib about. And as population increases and more people move into water-intensive lifestyles, water restrictions are something we’re likely to be seeing more of in the future.
Droughts, development, pollution, and wasteful usage are major factors in local and global water shortages, and are seemingly intractable problems for an individual to solve. Yet the United States uses more water per capita than any other country, so we can make a difference. As the saying goes, think globally, act locally. Whether we live in chronically water-short states or those that are flush with it, there are some basic things we can do to conserve and help us minimize our water consumption.
What to Do in the Loo?
A lot of indoor water use occurs in the bathroom—showering, flushing, brushing, etc. One of the first places to start conserving is the toilet. While most of us will have to wait for composting toilets and those that separate out solids from liquids to be reused (all in the works for the future), we can install a low-flow toilet and save large amounts of water, especially if you’re replacing an old, large-tank toilet. However, there is a simpler, cheaper (even free) method: displacement. By placing a brick, a plastic bag filled with water (sometimes called toilet tummies), or anything that takes up space inside the tank it will reduce the amount of water per flush. I ordered a free toilet tummy from my municipal district; check to see if yours subsidizes them, too.
The truly stringent can implement the mantra I learned as a child during water-strapped summers in Northern California—if it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.
You can also conserve by fixing toilet leaks, which can waste up to 7,000 gallons a month. A simple way to detect whether or not you have a leak is to put a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank and wait fifteen to twenty minutes. If you see the coloring in the toilet bowl, you’ve got a leak.
Go Low-Flow
Low-flow showerheads will reduce water consumption, and, because they save hot water, they reduce energy consumption as well. If you have older pipes and your shower takes a while to heat up, simply put a bucket in the stall to capture the cold stuff and use this to water plants, mop, or wash dishes. Shaving your legs? Try doing this with shaving cream and a bowl, rather than doing it in the shower, which can tack on many more minutes on your showertime.
Adding aerators and low-flow faucet adapters (usually less than $5 at hardware stores) on all sinks will save water—and ultimately, money.
In addition to low-flow faucets, it also helps to become aware of whether you leave the faucet on more than you need. It should always be off when we brush our teeth, for example.
Load Up, Low Water
We also use a lot of water in the kitchen. For dishwashers, make sure to fill the dishwasher to the brim before washing and opt out of the “heat dry” cycle, which uses extra energy. Skip pre-rinsing dishes, except for the two-day-old crusted oatmeal bowls. For those hand washers like me, use a tub to soak and rinse instead of having the water run constantly. Scrub plates with a little water before turning on the faucet full blast, so all you have to do is rinse. When rinsing fruits and vegetables, I also save the water in a bowl and use it to water patio or indoor plants.
Low-water clothes washers are also out there, though if you’re happy with what you’ve got, make sure to fill it up when doing a load.
