Unless you live in the desert, you probably have no idea how valuable water is. Fresh water accounts for less than 2% of all water on Earth, and from this store we must hydrate everyone on the planet in addition to running industrial processes and washing. That's a tall order. Every bit of fresh water that gets polluted is water that we can't use again. Therefore we need to keep an eye on water usage in industry and in our homes so that we won't run out. Here are some tips on conserving water.

Reduce Usage

The most important thing we can do is to reduce the amount of water we use. There are lots of ways to do this. By putting your rain barrel in the shade you will reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation. Installing low flow shower heads and toilet flushers will reduce water usage, as will refraining from watering your lawn or only watering at night. We can also cut back simply by taking shorter showers and getting leaky taps fixed right away.

Utilize Grey Water

Grey water is the rinse water that goes down the drain. Normally it is wasted, but by collecting it, you can reuse it to water your plants or flush your toilet. Soapy water isn't suitable for reuse, but water used to rinse vegetables or water pulled from the air by dehumidifiers is great for watering plants. You can even concoct a grey water drain that funnel it into a tank where it can be stored for use in lawn watering and car washing.

Switch to Sea Water

Many industrial processes that use fresh water don't need to. Water is used to cool molten metal, circulated in generators, or washing down surfaces. Undrinkable sea water will often do just as well in place of fresh water. So if you're building a new home consider using sea water in your industrial processes. If you're a buyer or consumer, support companies that use sea water over fresh water.

Collect Rain Water

Much of the fresh water that falls as rain is lost to the soil and takes a long time to make it through the ground, into the reservoir, and into our properties. You can shorten this process by setting up rainwater collection tanks around your yard. Rain water is not treated and is often impure, but you can use it to water plants, wash the car, flush the toilet, or clean the house.


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