Water Conservation

1. There's as much water in the world today as there was thousands of yeas ago. Actually, it's the same water. The water from your faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank. Perhaps Columbus sailed across it.

2. Nearly 97% of the world's water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers. That leave's just 1% for all of humanity's needs--all it's agricultural, manufacturing, community, and personal household needs.

3. Every glass of water brought to your table in a restaurant requires another two glasses of water to wash and rinse the glass. Since nearly 70 million meals are served each day in US restaurants, we'd save more than 26 million gallons of water if only one person in four declined the complimentary glassful.

4. Which uses more water, a shower or a tub bath? It all depends. A partially filled tub uses much less than a long shower, whereas a short shower is much more efficient than a brimful tub. If you shower in a bathtub, check yourself by plugging the tub to see how high the water comes when you've finished. Do you use more or less than that amount when you take a bath?

5. Some people thoughtlessly flush away tissues and other bits of trash in the toilet. Using a wastebasket, instead, will save all those gallons of water that otherwise go wastefully down the drain.

6. Don't let the water run when you brush your teeth or when washing your face. Most of it will be wasted. Just take what you need and save the rest.

7. Here's a two-for-one idea if you have a fish tank. When you clean the tank, use the dirty water on your house plants. It's rich in nitrogen and phosphorous. You get a nice fertilizer while you use the same water twice.

8. Sweep outside with a broom, not the hose. Yes, it's lots more fun using water, but just five minutes of hosing will waste, unnecessarily, about 25 gallons of water. Sweeping the sidewalk and driveway will get them clean enough.

9. Do you wash your car at home? Please don't let the hose run. Instead, wet the car thoroughly, then turn off the hose while you swab the car with soapy water from a bucket. Use the hose again for a final rinse. A trigger nozzle is best because it turns off automatically.

10. Have you ever heard of showering the "navy way"? Because fresh water is scarce on ships, sailors were taught to just get wet, then turn off the shower while soaping and scrubbing, and turn it on again briefly to rinse off. It's a great water conservation technique.