10 Ways to Conserve Water for World Water Day

Everyone knows that water makes everything better, it is essential for all people, plants, and animals to have access to water as a basic need for sustaining life. We need to all pull together and conserve water so the UN has named March 22 as World Water Day  to accelerate change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.

I love water, the refreshing feeling that I get after drinking nice cold water or being able to have a refreshing shower can be an amazing part of life. Unfortunately, many people around the world don’t even have access to basic clean drinking water. So for World Water Day, I will share 10 ways you can conserve water so that we conserve this essential resource to share with everyone and everything around us.

1. Take showers instead of baths. Everyone knows that wanting to take a hot bath can take a lot of minutes to do, having to wait for the bath to fill up and then take your bath.A way to conserve water can simply be taking a nice  5-7 minute shower to help reduce water the water used during showers.
2. Use a dishwasher instead of running water to clean dishes. This is a way for you to conserve water, if you have a dishwasher, it will help conserve water because it will allow for a whole load of dishes to be done with limited use of water, unlike, the traditional way of  running water while cleaning your dishes. If you don’t have a dishwasher, make sure to fill your sink or basin instead of running the water to be the most conservative.
3. Use a water bottle. A water bottle is a great way to conserve water, promote healthy living and save costs on buying plastic water bottles. Single use plastic water bottles are rapidly filling our landfills and causing ecological harm all over the world.
4. Conserve your use of the washing machine. Reducing how many loads of laundry will reduce how much water is being used. Try to maximize each load of laundry – don’t run half a load – and reduce the amount of laundry you do per week. Sometimes we get into a habit of washing clothes when they aren’t really in need and this is a great way to conserve water.
5. Turn off the tap. Closing a running tap of water is another way to conserve water. It’s an especially a great way to reduce water when brushing your teeth, washing your face, or shaving. Next time you are using running water, fill the sink and close that tap.
6. Use an instant water heater. If its available in your community, an instant water heater is a great way to heat/warm water without wasting energy on water you don’t use or excess water. It’s a win-win.
7. Avoid bottled water. Bottled water is still necessary for a lot of people in their homes, but it also adds to tons of water not being used, since still water needs to be poured out if it sits for too long. You can add a water filter to your home and eliminate water delivery. Use reusable water bottles, or a filter, for International Water Day.
8. Water your plants wisely. Now with warm weather coming in certain parts of the world, it means you can participate in activities like gardening. When gardening, it’s best to not water plants everyday, so you can conserve water. Watering every 3 – 4 days is usually plenty.
9. Use a bucket and sponge to clean your car. Going to the car wash is quick and easy, but to help with conserving water use a sponge and bucket on a nice sunny day, don’t run the hose, and conserve what you use to wash. This can also be great way to interact with family and friends – the more cars at a time, the more water saved.
10. Use the garbage disposal sparingly. Having a garbage disposal is very convenient for many people who have leftover food in the sink, but it require a lot of water to properly dispose of all the leftover food. Many communities are banning the use of residential garbage disposals due to contamination of our oceans and to reduce water usage. Composting is a more ecological way to go.

However you choose to conserve water on World Water Day, know that you will be making a difference in your community and around the world. Conserving water is something we all need to do to help our world be as healthy as it can be.

Celebrate today by choosing to make changes and conserve water! Read more at 365give.ca on how to give back on World Water Day!