Most of us have seen the pictures of the lake taken recently. It’s a very sobering thought when you consider that it is possible for us to completely run out of water. Water is actually one of our most scarce resources. Sure, water covers about ? of the surface of Earth, but fresh water only accounts for about 2.5% of the total water on Earth. Of that, 68.6% is frozen in the polar ice caps & glaciers, leaving less than 1% of Earth’s water available for use…but not really. Much of that “available water” is in the form of groundwater, meaning it is underground. Lakes & rivers, where most of us get our water, only account for 0.007% of the total water on Earth. (Statistics from water use restrictions, but there are many other things we can do to decrease our usage & still help keep the trees & plants alive. There are the obvious things, like
- Make sure you don’t have any water leaks. If you do, fix them immediately.
- When you wash your hands, get the soap first, and then turn on the water.
- Don’t keep the water running while you brush your teeth. Just turn the water to on to wet your toothbrush, turn it off while you brush, then turn it back on to rinse.
- Of course, you have to wash your clothes & your dishes, so make sure that the loads are full to reduce the number of loads that you have to wash. If you wash dishes by hand, don’t leave the water running…catch a little in each side of the sink, wash on one side, rinse on the other.
- Check the water usage on your toilet…it’s usually stamped on the top rim of the bowl, right behind the seat. Older fixtures use at least 4 times as much water as newer ones. Beginning in 1995, federal regulations mandated that toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush, whereas older toilets use 6-8 gallons every time you flush. If you have an older toilet, just think how much water you could save if you replace it!
- Refrain from filling or topping off swimming pools & hot tubs…these are a luxury, not a necessity, so let’s save our water usage for those things we really need!
Then there are the less obvious things, that maybe you haven’t thought of, like
- Take “Navy” showers. For those who did not grow up with the benefit of a dad that served in the Navy, this may be a foreign concept. It’s simple…turn on the water & get wet, then turn off the water, soap up, then turn the water back on & rinse off…voila! A Navy shower!
- Catch your shower water in your tub, or just don’t drain your bath water. Dip it out with a big bowl & carry it outside to water your plants & trees…this will take several trips!
- Shower with your spouse (guys, you can thank me later!) Not only does this use significantly less water than individual showers, it also gives you some much-needed “alone time”.
- Put a large bowl or soup pot in your kitchen sink to catch the water from washing your hands or grapes or broccoli or… When it’s full, carry it outside to water your plants & trees…again, multiple trips.
- Don’t pour out the water you used to soak your beans or cook your pasta (or potatoes, or whatever). Put it in a bowl, let it cool somewhat, and then carry it outside to water your plants & trees.
- Use the above idea for just about anything else you can think of…old dog’s water, that glass of water that someone didn’t finish, __________________ (fill in the blank) Pour it outside on your plants & trees…they will thank you for it & you won’t have to use the sprinkler as much!
Now for the really obscure (read “hippie”) ideas:
- Do you really need to take a shower every day? Probably not. Now, some of us do…I live with someone that gets quite sweaty & definitely MUST shower every day! But for many of us, we don’t really get dirty or sweaty every day, so a shower is not necessary EVERY day. Besides, the more you shower, the more you wash off the natural oils that keep your skin moisturized…then you have to use more lotion to replace those oils so your skin is not dry. Ok, some of you are saying, “But I need to wash my hair!” Well, then, wash your hair…in the kitchen sink with the sprayer. This uses A LOT less water than showering. Then use a damp washcloth to freshen the “pits” & “nether regions”; reapply deodorant & you should be good to go for another day!
- Is that shirt (or pants or shorts) really dirty after just one wear? Maybe, maybe not. Does it look dirty? Does it smell dirty? If the answer to both of these is “No”, then it’s probably not really dirty & could be worn again. Re-wearing clothes that aren’t really dirty helps reduce the number of loads of laundry that you have to wash, & Mom, or whoever does the laundry at your house, would sure appreciate that!
- My personal favorite, for the hardcore conservationist…”If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down!” Remember the toilets from above? Multiply the amount of water your toilet uses per flush and the number of times you flush per day. This tells you how much water you could save each day by following this simple little mantra! (Believe it or not, in my previous life as a high school teacher, we asked the students to adhere to this one year when there was a severe drought!)
Many of these things can become lifestyle changes that will help us to always conserve water. Some of them are best employed under extreme circumstances, which I believe we are in now. And a few of these ideas require a bit of effort on our parts, but I think having fresh water in the future is worth the effort now. We each need to do our part to reduce our water usage & set an example of good stewardship for future generations. One person’s usage isn’t going to make a huge difference, but 20,000+ working together will!
“The schweet life: the ramblings of a homeschool mom” is a blog by Karen Carter. Karen lives in Central Texas with her husband, Darren, & teenage son (She will refer to him as Son since he doesn’t want her to use his name). In another life she was a public school teacher. Karen taught high school Physics, Chemistry, & Math for many years before she and her husband decided to homeschool their son (best decision they believe they ever made!) In addition to teaching their son, Karen also tutors other students, some homeschoolers & some not, mostly with science & math. Since y have a complete high school science lab at our house & an extensive, mostly classical, library that includes works by Hitler & Marx, Karen has often joked that their family must be on the Homeland Security watch list!
When their son was younger, he kept breaking out in hives at the most random times. The doctor could not figure out why & finally concluded it must be a preservative or other additive used in foods. Karen decided she would have to try to eliminate as much pre-prepared food from their diet as possible. She has always enjoyed cooking, but this decision began a new chapter for her family. She now makes most of what they eat from scratch. The Carters try to eat as much fresh food as possible, growing what they can (they live in town, so space is limited)…lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, & occasionally meat (hormone & antibiotic free).
