What if we wake up tomorrow and the government declares an emergency situation telling us that the available water will be enough for less than the next 4 months?
How we will react if consumption were limited to a maximum of 2 liters of water per person per day?
I can see why that would make you anxious!
But it could really happen, maybe not in the immediate future, but still. We often take it for granted that if something is there it will be like this forever! 2020 has taught us that things come and go and normality does not exist. Prevention is better than cure they say, so below I will make a list of 17 ideas that will keep you saving water and money in everyday life.
I start with some facts that led me to deepen this topic. I recently came across a Ted Talk by Lana Mazahreh relating to the topic of water. The video tells that in 2017, the Mayor of Cape Town in South Africa officially announced that the country has less than 4 months of water availability, and limits every single citizen to the consumption of 100 liters of water per day. A tank contains on average about 80 liters of water, just to give an idea. Lana also explains that 100 liters a day is enough to shower for 5 minutes, wash your face twice and flush about 5 times. This amount (100 liters of water) is not enough for brushing teeth, doing laundry and watering the plants. Obviously drinking water is not contemplated. I’m honest, this statement made by Lana didn’t surprise me, I thought, well, it’s Africa, there have always been problems with water. This is not new.
Also, in the same Talk, Lana states that the same problem happened in Australia, in Melbourne to be exact, in the early 2000s. Australia is not an underdeveloped country. Also in Adelaide and Sydney. Therefore, the problem affects developed countries too.
This got me thinking that if the problem happened in Australia, it cannot be excluded that it could also happen in Europe, therefore in Italy or in Great Britain. I have done several searches to understand how much water is left in Italy and United Kingdom but I have not been able to find much information.
I found that on average a person consumes 118 to 215 liters of water per day (this disparity exists because water consumption changes from region to region). According to the WHO (World Health Organization), if the limit of 50 liters per day is exceeded, it creates waste. Italy but also Great Britain are not famous for the attention and the awareness of how use of water.
Here you can find my practical guide with 17 ways to save water and money in everyday life.
1- Stop flushing your toilet: every time we flush, we waste about 5 liters. On average, we flush the toilet 8 times a day. The solution is to flush fewer times a day and not to use our toilet as a basket for sanitary towels, cigarette butts, etc., to avoid flushing the water unnecessarily. And as the English say in the toilet there are only 3 P. – PAPER -PEE -POO.
2- Have less water in the toilet tank. Nowadays the tanks are quite small to decrease the amount of water discharged every time we flush, but if you have an old bathroom with a large tank, you should consider putting a bottle in it. This will raise the volume of water and consequently the tank will be full with less water. I recommend using a glass bottle rather than a plastic one to avoid deterioration and to prevent the fragmentation of plastic in the water. Doing it avoids excessive waste of water every time the toilet is flushed.
3- Take short showers. We consume 25 liters of water every 5 minutes of shower. Nowadays “taking a shower” is considered more a ritual than a way to actually wash. I recommend setting the shower crank on echo and no more than 40 degrees. I suggest to install a modern shower head that moderates the water pressure. And of course, spending less time in the shower.
4- Little water in the bath. One bath can hold up to 100 liters of water. Therefore, it is advisable to take baths with little water.
5- Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. This is perhaps one of the first things we learn as children. It may seem obvious but sometimes, we forget to do it.
6- Turn off the water when shaving. It applies to both women and men. Just like for the teeth turn off the water when shaving for men, or when we depilate our legs (and not only). We open the water only to rinse the blade and legs. By doing this we will save a lot of water and money of course.
7- Pay attention to water leaks. Water leaks from our sinks and plumbing, when there is a water leak it is 24/7, the result is a large amount of wasted water. We must immediately get it fixed. Furthermore, if we are aware of water leaks in our city or region, it is our duty to notify the authorities.
8- Do not use water pumps to wash the machine. In some Australian cities, such as Sydney for example, it is forbidden to use water pumps to wash cars, but buckets are used instead. This prevents excessive water consumption. It can be brought to Italy, but not to the UK because it always rains a lot!
9- Stop playing with water. Who hasn’t done it! Especially in summer. Taking inspiration from Lana who suggests putting flour in balloons instead of water. However, I do not recommend using balloons because they are not recyclable therefore, they pollute a lot, even the flour is not appropriate to waste it, but if we really want to have fun without wasting water, well, this is the way. On the other hand, we can do the Ice challenge which consists of pouring ice on ourselves, we can use sand instead of ice.
10- Use a washing up bowl to wash fruit and vegetables. Instead of using running water to wash fruit and vegetables, we can collect the water in a bowl and put the fruit and vegetables to soak. Once everything is washed, we can use that water to water the plants. I keep that water in a jar in the kitchen, it is not aesthetic, but certainly functional.
11- Store the water you don’t need. Keep the cold and the hot water that comes out before you take the shower or the bath, and use it to water the flowers and flush the toilet.
12- Cold water in the fridge. I like to drink water at room temperature but my boyfriend likes it cold. I put the water in the fridge for him. in this way I avoid running the water from the tap to make it cold.
13- Do not wash the dishes under running water. On average, we waste 6 liters per minute when we wash dishes with running water. Use a bowl with water to wash the dishes.
14- Water the garden in moderation. Water the garden only when necessary, using rainwater if possible. By installing a water tank in the garden that stores rainwater, you will have water available easily when needed.
15- Dishwasher only when full. The latest generation of low-water consumption dishwashers require an average of 6 liters of water per cycle. Older and less efficient dishwashers can consume up to 45 liters of water per cycle. When you have the possibility, you should replace the dishwasher with a low water consumption one. In general, you should only run the dishwasher when it is full.
16- Washing machine only when full. Also in this case, the latest model washing machines consume an average of 40/50 liters of water per 5kg of washing. Older ones up to 100/120 liters of water always for a 5kg wash. Run it only when it is full.
17- Plant plants that require little water. I love plants that require little water. They are great for consuming less water.
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