Save Some For the Fishes.

I'd like to clear my throat before I get on a soap box for a few moments to rant about something that is quite dear to my heart: (ehem, ehem) consumption and waste.
I'll try to keep this short but I ask that in return you take this very seriously.
You've all heard the stats that we, the United States, only 6% of the worlds population, use 25% of it's resources. Today I will focus on water, it has been predicted that in the near future water will be worth more than gold, diamonds and yes, even oil due to it anticipated scarcity.
Now, this may seem very micro-effective for all of you, however I present you with a top-10 lists of how to cut down on how much water we waste everyday.
A lot of these are obvious in theory, however after the experience of observing the actual behavior of many of you, non of it is being used in practice.

Top 10 ways to save water.

1. Chill drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the faucet until the water is cold.
2. Don't pre-rinse dishes before loading the dishwasher. You'll save as much as 20 gallons a load, or 6,500 gallons per year. Tests have shown that pre-rinsing doesn't improve cleaning.
3. Wash vegetables and fruits in a bowl or basin using a vegetable brush; don't let the water run. ( This is one of my favorites. At my house, we fill the bowl with water and wash the veggies in them and then dump that water in our garden just to put it to some use! You can also used other forms of recycled water to water plants like from a tea kettle, or when you boil an egg etc.)
4. Fix all leaks. (And in the meantime put a bowl under leaks and give it to plants!)
5. When taking a bath, close the drain before turning on the water. And fill it half as full as you usually do; you could save 10 to 15 gallons.
6. TURN OFF FAUCETS unless you are actually using them. While brushing teeth you can waste 2 to 3 gallons per minute and 5 to 7 gallons per minute while showering!
7. Replace as many appliances in the house with water conserving models (toilets, washing machine, dishwasher etc). Most company's will give you either a free one or a discounted one if you recycle your old one.
8. Don't hose down your driveway! A few weeks ago on my way to school I saw a guy hosing his front steps and I walked by and said "That's quite a waste of water!" and he said "yeah well.." but then later that week I saw him sweeping the leaves!
9. For your garden, hand-water with a hose where possible. Homeowners who water with a handheld hose can use one-third less water outdoors than those who use automatic sprinklers.
10. And if you MUST use sprinklers, position sprinklers so they're not watering driveways and walkways and schedule it to water during the coolest time of the day to reduce evaporation. Don't water when it's windy. Generally watering lawns at night isn’t recommended since the grass can stay wet for long periods, which can promote fungus growth.


The average U.S. household uses 350 gallons of water per day, according to the American Water Works Association. Depending on the region, households use 20 to 62 percent of that total outdoors on lawns, pools, and such. Saving water outdoors, then, can really make a dent. Indoors, homeowners can reduce water use by about 30 percent by installing more-efficient water fixtures and regularly checking for leaks.
Now if you want your children to enjoy the same benefits of water as we do, stop being such a WATER-HOG!!!