• Take shorter showers, try for 5 minutes, you CAN do it! You can even use a shower timer to get motivated.
• Low flow toilets and showerheads can reduce the amount of water used.
      For a low cost fix to your toilet bowl problem, put a plastic soda bottle filled with water in your toilet tank, it will reduce the amount of water used per flush.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.
• Run dishwashers and laundry machines only when full.
• Switch back to the tap. Producing, transporting and disposing of bottled water uses a lot of energy and water.  
• The federal government regulates municipal drinking water and it is tested for safety.
      Bottles used to package water take over 1,000 years to degrade and if incinerated, they produce toxic fumes. 1
      Millions of barrels of oil are used to produce and ship plastic water bottles. 80-90% of these bottles wind up in the garbage and not the recycling bin. 2

Be an Informed Consumer

Your choice of the things you buy, from clothing, to food, to office supplies can have an effect on water usage. Choose foods that use less water to produce, such as vegetables and whole grains. Processed foods like soda and chips use much more water to produce. Support local farmers that practice organic agriculture and pasture their animals.

Did you know? 3

• 2 gallons of water are used to make a sheet of writing paper
• 8 gallons used to produce a cup of tea
• 18 gallons to grow an apple
• 35 gallons to produce a cup of coffee
• 132 gallons to produce a 2-liter gallon of soda
• 500 gallons to make a pair of jeans
• 630 gallons to produce 1 hamburger

Think About Your Landscaping Techniques

• Limit the amount of lawn
• Choose drought resistant native plants
• Harvest rainwater and store it in a cistern to be used when needed.
• Irrigate wisely. Drip irrigation is a technique that can be used to save water and fertilizer. It delivers small amounts of water directly individual plants and to the soil surrounding the plant.
• Mulch to conserve moisture

For more information on incorporating water conservation methods download the [doc:30021|link:US EPA’s Water Efficient Landscaping Guide].

References:

1. ValleyWater.org
2. Food and Water Watch.
3. Statistics taken from Berger, Cathryn Kaye and Philippe Cousteau. Going Blue, a Teen Guide to Saving Our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers and Wetlands. Free Spirit Publishing, 2010.