Earth’s composition is about 70 percent water, yet there’s such a limited amount that we’re able to use. So much of it is currently caught in a waste stream. With Spring making its debut and Earth Day here, I’ve been thinking about how we all play a role in taking care of the planet — and while it’d be nice to claim that we all do everything in our power to support Mother Nature, the truth is, more could be done. Ultimately, the responsibility to preserve water lands on our shoulders. For the sake of our generation and our children’s generation, we should all instinctively feel the need to save Earth’s precious resources and protect this beautiful planet.
The steps that need to be taken to save more water aren’t as extreme as you would think. For example, you don’t have to start dumping a bucket of water on your head instead of taking a shower. There are plenty of ways to begin saving more water at home without making any major changes to your daily lifestyle.
1. Reuse your cooking water
Don’t empty your pasta water down the sink drain. While the starchy water is a necessary ingredient to add to sauces or soups for a perfect consistency, it can also be added to bread to help it rise. You could even freeze it in ice cube trays for a later use.
Need to steam some veggies with your meal? Get two steps done at once and place a steaming basket over your boiling pot of pasta. Streamlining your cooking routine in this way will inevitably save you lots of water… and stress.
2. Take shorter showers
I personally struggle with this step. Long, warm showers are such a comforting experience for me, but they’re definitely not environmentally friendly. After all, during a typical eight-minute shower, over 15 gallons of water is used.
You can still feel free to take your time with this important self-care step, but you should aim to take shorter showers at least two or three days a week. This small change could save hundreds of gallons of water over time.
3. Shop secondhand
This is one of the most fun steps you could take in your journey to save more water. Thrifting for clothes will help you unearth some amazing past styles and give clothes bound for landfill a second chance at life.
Producing cotton is generally an extremely wasteful and hazardous process. Typical practices use tons of pesticides and drain natural water sources. Roughly 20,000 liters of water is needed to produce just one kilogram of cotton. You could save hundreds of pounds of fabric from going to waste by keeping secondhand clothes in your wardrobe.
Remember that although you are one person, you have the power to make a major impact. Saving more water at home is just one of the many essential parts of environmental change. Try your best to look after Mother Earth, and tell your friends and family to do so, too.