Water Conservation
Take the 10-Gallon Challenge!
As we move into the hot months of the summer, water conservation is more important than ever. Each of us uses an average of 90 gallons every day. Small changes can make a big difference. Encourage every member of your family or officemates to save 10 gallons everyday. Select items from the following list to bring your water use down by 10 gallons (or more!).
- Turn the water off when brushing your teeth. – 4 Gallons
- Don’t rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, scrape instead. – 6 Gallons
- Don’t use the toilet as a trash can. – 3 Gallons
- Do only full loads of laundry. Cut back by one load a week. – 5 Gallons a day
- Keep a pitcher of cold water in the fridge for cold water to drink – 6 Gallons
- Catch shower water as it heats up to use on plants – 10 Gallons
- Limit to one full load of dishes a day. – 2 Gallons a day
- Take a shorter shower; cut your time by 2 minutes. – 10 Gallons
- Use a basin or plug the sink for rinsing when doing dishes by hand. – 12 Gallons
- Replace high flow showerheads. – 3 Gallons a minute
- Replace high flow sink aerators. – 1.5 Gallons a minute
- Use the load setting on your clothes washer to smaller load. – 2 Gallons a day
- Pour out pet’s water on plants, not down the drain. – 1 Gallon
- Fill bathtub only half way. – 15 Gallons
- Fix dripping faucets. – 3 Gallons
- Turn water off when shaving or washing your face – 4 Gallons
- Make a compost pile instead of using the garbage disposal. – 4 Gallons
- Catch rinse water from washing veggies or draining pasta use it on your plants. – 2 Gallons
Many thanks to the Cobb Water System for permission to reprint its “10-Gallon Challenge”
Information based on standard flow rates and activity time estimates provided in Handbook of Water Use and Conservation by Amy Vickers
Last modified Wednesday, July 30, 2008 12:07
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