Sunday 20 May 2012





The UK drought can only be an annual occurrence unless we understand how much water we use or waste and all of us do one or two simple things to change our wasteful habits. For those of us facing water meters then these simple techniques will achieve both. Techniques can save us all money and help the drought situation now.


Facts:

246 litres of water is used between cattle feed manufacturer, cooling and cleaning /making milk containers, is amount is used up to make one glass of milk

Action:

Drink less cappuccino’s and consider milk's drain on our water table at all times. Think how much water a Starbucks must use!

Fact:

The kitchen and bathroom tap on average uses 20 litres of water in one minute if left running.

Action:

Do not run the tap to wash dishes, vegetables or even to brush your teeth. If you wait for the water to cool to get a glass to drink, fill a jug and keep in the fridge

Fact:

Average UK household uses between 500- 700 litres of fresh water per day, that’s about 4 bathtubs full. That’s over 250,000 litres per year. The shower alone if you take a 12-15 minute shower uses 25 litres per minute!

Action:

Take quicker showers, run the water into a bucket if you wait for the shower water to heat up. Use the bucket from your shower to water pot plants or water the garden, or use it to boil water for cooking or making tea/coffee

Fact:

We all flush too many times, 10 litres each time is used. Consult your partner or family, new household rule could be "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown wash it down!" You can of course use the bucket from the shower and dump into the toilet pan to dispose of the waste. This simple technique helps save water.

Fact:

The Earth has only 1% of it's water suitable for drinking , available at any given time.

Action:

With this fact pass the word at your offices or in your work place, fix drips, don't leave water running and think water saving as part of your personal and work objectives.

Fact: Cooking/Eating is becoming a cultural joy with all the programs on TV, fresh food in our markets and shops.

This all takes water to produce, clean or manufacture. Don't add to the water count by increasing water use at home in the cooking preparation processes.

Action:

Steam vegetables whenever you can, if you boil, do not cover the vegetables entirely. If you have left over water from vegetables or potatoes especially after cooking, leave it to cool DO NOT dump down the sink. Use the cold vegetable water to add to smoothies, mix with water for a great vitamin enriched and nutritional drink or simply pour onto your potted plants, watch them thrive with this enriched water, better than fertilisers!

Fact:

50,000 litres of water is lost in the average family bathroom in the UK

Action:

Hold a family meeting consider (or even an office meeting to pass on these techniques) examine the families tap policy re running them to wash faces, clean teeth and the longer showers discussed . Can these showers be shortened by a fraction. 2 x fifteen minute showers can use over 50 litres per day remember. Can you all live with if it's yellow let it mellow? Challenge your family to reduce the 250,000 litre annual usage to be cut by 10% (25,000 litres)

There are a number of small things that all add up.

Fact:

It would only take 10% of us to follow all these actions to save millions of gallons or litres of water per annum.

Use the internet to search for water saving ideas from adding a brick to the water cistern to grey water uses...go on just do something and do it fast.





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