I was brushing my teeth this morning, as I do every morning, and started to space out. I don't even remember what I was spacing about, but when I came to I realized that I had the water running the whole time, and my mind flashed to all these news stories I've heard about water conservation and how Al Gore would probably put a hit out on me for wasting so much water, because I tend to space out while brushing my teeth or taking a shower almost daily, and I began to feel bad. So I figured I would do a little research on water conservation that can be done by anyone, because if you believe the experts, every drop counts in the end, and out here in Arizona, we don't exactly have our own water supply to count on...we have to buy our water from the folks up north.
My first subject, taking a bath versus taking a shower. Now most men simply won't take a shower regardless, but hear me out. Generally speaking, a shower will use less water than a bath, however it's not that simple. According to an article online from the Consumer Energy Center, the water you use in a shower can exceed that used in a bath if you tend to take long showers, or if you have older shower heads that do not restrict water flow. They say the best way to see how much you're using is to plug the drian during your next shower, and when you're finished see how much water you've used. If that puddle you're standing in fills the tub, then you might want to consider just taking a bath, or maybe speed up your scrubbin'. But when you really think about it, you bathe everyday (hopefully) so if you saved a few gallons of water a day in the shower, you'd be making a huge impact on your water bill, and on the environment.
Secondly, using the dishwasher versus a good ol' hand scrubbin'. I hate cleaning dishes and the dishwasher is exactly what I need, but does it save water? According to National Geographic, you use 35 percent less water if you use your dishwasher, and the best part is they actually suggest you skip the pre-rinse too! So they don't even want you to rinse it before you toss it in the washer! All you lazy people out there should be paying attention. While the dishwasher may cost you a little more on your electric bill, if you air dry your dishes and only run full loads, you can conserve a large amount of water. Insted of scrubbin' a few dishes every night, run that dishwasher a couple days a week, and you're saving a ton of water in no time.
For more water savin' tips, check out these sites...
*image used royalty free from http://www.sxc.hu/photo/383099
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