There’s never been a more important time to start saving money. With the heavy costs of producing much of what we find on the shelves at our local shops, fresh, potable water is being depleted at an astounding rate.
Hundreds of millions of litres of fresh water are used in the animal agriculture industry every year, for example, to produce goods such as milk, cheese, beef, and more. But even vegan options are not exempt: almost milk is one of the few milk alternatives that use almost as much water as dairy milk.
With the increased strain on the water table, it’s imperative that we learn how to save as much water at home.
1. Dripping Taps
It’s something that a lot of us may take for granted, but letting a leaky tap continue to drip water over extended periods of time can quickly lead to hundreds of wasted litres of water.
Taps will usually start to leak water when their rubber washers have begun to perish, and these are easy to locate and replace. It’s estimated that an average household with leaking taps can expect to lose around 60 or more litres of water every week.
2. Brushing Teeth
It’s a common habit for many people to let the tap continue to run while they brush their teeth. On average, this uses around 6 litres of water per minute that it runs, which adds up quickly when we’re meant to brush our teeth for around 4 minutes at a time.
Turning off your tap while you brush your teeth is a simple lifestyle change that can make a huge difference in terms of saving water.
3. Showering
Most showers will produce around 17 litres of water per minute, making them a terrible waste for those people that like to sit in the shower for long periods of time. Rather set a timer on your phone and shower for between 5 and 8 minutes if possible to reduce how much water you’re taking out of the tank.
This is especially important if you’re using a geyser system for hot water, as the extra electricity usage not only creates higher emissions, but uses more water, as water is an important part of modern electricity generation, excluding solar.
4. Seasonal Foods
Avocado is known for being among the most water-intensive crops in the world, especially when they’re farmed in climates and times of the year when they’re not meant to.
This applies to both animal products and certain fruits and vegetables, meaning that it’s worth getting a hold of a seasonal calendar and only buying what’s in season, even if it means having to wait for a favourite fruit by spending the time enjoying online betting Peru.
5. Toilet Usage
It may be worth pulling out your old toilet and replacing it with a more modern fuel-flush system. Older toilets could use up to 13 litres of water for a single flush, while a dual-flush system will use between 4 and 6 for each use.
On top of that, it can also help to not flush every time you urinate, which is a practice that’s becoming more common around the world.