Love water? Then save it!

We are utterly dependent on water. There wouldn’t be any life on earth without it, which is one reason to love water.  For most of us, water seems so plentiful and readily available that we can neglect to treat water as the precious, life-sustaining resource that it is.  Unfortunately, there are nearly 2 billion people who do not have access to safely managed water.

We experience water in many different ways.  Water is hydrating and sustaining for all living things.  It keeps us cool in the summer, and is fun to experience as snow in the winter.  It helps us clean our bodies and our homes.  Evening rain showers soothe us to sleep.  But water is also a powerful force: floods, riptides, hurricanes, and tsunamis bring destruction in its wake.

Our current climate crisis, along with humanity’s growing demands for water, is exacerbating our global water scarcity problem.

Rising global temperatures are also creating more extreme weather patterns, which bring devastation to coastal and inland areas alike. Now more than ever, we need to understand our current environmental and humanitarian water crisis and combat water’s continued decline.

Show your love and appreciation for water this month with our water-saving tips.  As each of us takes action to live more sustainably and in harmony with nature, how can we change our relationship with water? If each of us makes small changes to reduce, recycle, and reuse water, our collective efforts will add up in a big way!

To help you get started, we share water-saving tips for four high water usage areas: Kitchen, Bathroom, Laundry, and Outdoors.

Reduce water and chemicals while cleaning clothes

  • Wash only full loads of laundry or use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine
  • To save money on your energy bills, set your washing machine to use cold water rather than hot or warm water
  • Use eco-friendly laundry products
  • Reduce polyester and other synthetic clothing that release micro-plastics into the water system

Reduce water usage where over 50% of in-home use happens

  • Turn off the tap while shaving or brushing teeth
  • Fix any leaking pipes or faucets
  • Take short showers which use less water than a bath
  • Use eco-friendly personal products (fewer chemicals in the water and on you)
  • Install a dual flush or low flow toilet or put a conversion kit on your existing toilet
  • If updating the bathroom, look for WaterSense products and save with every use

Use less water while enjoying great meals

  • Eat vegetarian meals several times a week (less water is used growing veggies than meat)
  • Scrape your plate instead of rinsing it before loading it into the dishwasher
  • Use a dishwasher — and when you do, make sure it’s fully loaded!
  • Use eco-friendly cleaning products
  • Compost instead of using a garbage disposal. The less we put into our water system, the less we have to clean up
  • Add food waste to your compost pile instead of using the garbage disposal
  • Don’t use plastic water bottles and keep a bottle of drinking water in the fridge — no need to run the water until it is cold!

Improve efficiency, reuse, and store water

  • Plant native plants and food gardens that are beautiful and efficient to bring nature closer
  • Don’t overwater your lawn or water during peak periods, and install rain sensors on irrigation systems
  • Capture rainwater and stormwater runoff from your roof, driveway, and other areas to use in watering your garden
  • Plant trees — as many as you can
  • Clean up and help restore areas around rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans

Learn more about the importance of water with these suggested blogs and books:

Blue Mind Water

We love water, but do you ever wonder why? We flock to the ocean and lakes to sit quietly, and we love to splash and float in water. We need water daily to survive. “The Blue Mind story seeks to reconnect people to nature in ways that make them feel good and shows them how water can help them become better versions of themselves.” Read more.

The Secret Network of Nature

Nature is a connected network of life that we rarely notice. Peter Wohlleben shares many examples of this interconnectedness so we can begin to see nature in all its beautiful complexity.  Based on science, he leads us through life cycles where salmon, rivers, and trees support each other.  We learn how wolves, bears, and fish need each other in Yellowstone National Park.  Read more.

We Are Water Protectors

This children’s book, We Are Water Protectors, written by Carole Lindstrom and beautifully illustrated by Michaela Goade, serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting our water. It is inspired by indigenous-led movements to protect our natural resources. Soak up this story as it is read by Joanna Henry. Read more.