Water Conservation

We use and drink water daily and should be mindful of how much we use. We will hear more about water conservation in the future, as the Western United States continues to be plagued by the mega-drought and our water sources continue to be stressed. 

There are many ways for you and me to conserve water daily.

One way to conserve water is to transition to drinking water from a reusable water bottle rather than a plastic bottle. Plastic bottles are harmful to the environment for many reasons. One reason is that drinking water from a plastic bottle has more microplastics than tap water. Uniquely enough, tap water in some Colorado cities has been ranked number one in the nation for being the cleanest and tastiest tap water. 

If you prefer to drink filtered water, you can buy a filter for your faucet or a pitcher filter that can be kept inside your refrigerator, like a Brita filter. 

Another easy way to conserve water is to take short showers. Taking a shower that is 5 minutes or less will help you cut back on the amount of water you use daily. Typically we use 5 gallons of water per minute while we shower, 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 and washing your face and hands could help you save five gallons of water daily. This can be done while you are at home, on campus, or in the city. 

If you have a few glasses of water around your home that are now room temperature, instead of dumping the water out, use the water to water plants or as water for your pet's water dish. 

A few other ways for you and I to conserve water are to;

• Only run the washing machine and dishwasher when they are both full

• Keep an eye out for leeks in your kitchen and bathroom. If any are noticed, fix them as soon as possible

• Turn the water off when you’re washing dishes if you wash them by hand

• Use the garbage disposal sparingly, instead learn to compost food waste, which will help save gallons of water each use

• Eat less water-intensive foods. Water accounts for half of the water we use. Cutting out animal products and shifting to plant-based foods can help reduce our water footprint