After cutting back my waste, carbon and food footprint, and energy use, it is now time to cut back my water use.
Step One is to assess my current water habits from when I wake up, to when I go to bed. Throughout the day, the activities I do that use water are: showering, brushing my teeth, using the bathroom, washing my hands, washing dishes, and cooking food. I also had to calculate my water footprint, which is 641 cubic meters per year. Food contributed most to my water footprint, with meat being the major contributor to the food aspect. If you would like to calculate your water footprint as well, click here.
Step Two is to start cutting down water usage by turning off the faucet, soaking the dishes, and shorter showers.
Step Three is to determine what the hardest part about reducing the amount of water I use. I think the hardest part about reducing my use of water is that water seems to be so abundant. I turn on the faucet, it’s there. I step into the shower, it’s there. When I’m thirsty I go to the water fountain, it’s there. I know a lot of people around the world don’t have this luxury. I think cutting down my water use will be the easiest part of this challenge since I’m studying environmental engineering, and want a career that focuses on water resources.
Here are some suggestions on how you can reduce your water consumption:
- take colder, shorter showers by setting a timer
- wash clothes in full loads of laundry
- drink tap water, not bottled water
- carry around a reusable drink container
- reuse cooking water for watering plants, washing pets, making soup, stocks, and other dishes, and rinsing produce
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