As the western United States continues to be plagued by a mega-drought and our water sources continue to be stressed, it's important to be mindful of how much water we use each day.
Conserving water daily
One way to conserve water is to transition from drinking from individual plastic bottles to using reusable water bottles. Plastic bottles are harmful to the environment, and water from plastic bottles contains more microplastics than tap water. In some Colorado cities, the tap water has been ranked first in the nation for being the cleanest and best-tasting. If you prefer to drink filtered water, you can buy a filter for your faucet or a pitcher filter.
Another easy way to conserve water is to take shorter showers. Taking a shower that is five minutes or less will help cut back on the amount of water you use daily. Typically, we use five gallons of water per minute while showering, so cutting back on the length of our showers will allow us to save gallons of water.
Turning the water off while brushing your teeth or washing your face and hands could also save gallons of water each day, whether you're at home, on campus or out and about.
If you have glasses of water sitting around your home that are no longer cold, rather than dumping the water out, use the water to water plants or as water for your pet's water dish.
A few other ways to conserve water include:
- Only run the washing machine and dishwasher when they are both full.
- Keep an eye out for leaks in your kitchen and bathroom and get them fixed as quickly as possible.
- Turn the water off while you’re washing dishes, if you wash them by hand.
- Use the garbage disposal sparingly; instead, compost food waste, which will help save gallons of water.
- Eat fewer water-intensive foods. Cutting out animal products and shifting to plant-based foods can help reduce our water footprint.