Water Conservation

Would you go to war over access to water?

Although this won’t happen in New Zealand (unless those pesky Aussies come a’ knockin’!) we still need to conserve it and we’re going to tell you why…

The world’s population is rapidly expanding and as a result there is increasing pressure on the world’s water supply. Around the world one in every six people do not have access to water that is safe to drink. Some pundits are picking future wars not to be fought over access to oil, but over access to clean, fresh water.

New Zealand has a huge amount of clean water available for our use so it is unlikely things will ever come to violence here but clean water is not free, it is not cheap and as our population grows we will find pressure being put on our water supply.

I think it is important that we all take steps to ensure we look after the water we have to make sure that we can minimise the effect of any climate or population changes on our water supply. If you have any questions on how you can reduce your water consumption and save yourself money and save the environment, feel free to give us a call or pop in for a chat.

15 easy ways you can conserve water and save money as well as the environment:

1. Use a bucket to wash your car instead of a hose and wash it on your lawn. This will mean you don’t waste water by leaving the hose running lying on the ground and any water running off the car will be absorbed by your grass.

2. Use a bowl of water to wash vegetables rather than leaving the tap running. Otherwise much of the water just runs straight down the drain without even being used.

3. Wash clothes only when you have a full load. This will cut down on the number of loads of washing you do and therefore the amount of water you use.

4. Use an efficient shower head and shorten shower times. Some shower heads can pump out incredible volumes of water which is simply unnecessary. A more efficient shower head can save an unbelievable amount of water.

5. Water gardens in the evening or early in the morning. If you use a sprinkler during the day up to 80% of the water will evaporate and won’t even be absorbed by plants. Watering in cooler times will reduce evaporation and increase absorption.

6. Don’t use the toilet as an ashtray or waste basket. Every time you flush the toilet it uses up to 9 litres so rather than flushing tissues etc down the toilet, throw them in the rubbish bin.

7. Take shorter showers. Long hot showers waste water and energy. Minimise the showering time to what is necessary.

8. Turn off the water after you wet your tooth brush. After the toothbrush is wet and you have filled a glass for rinsing your mouth there is no need to keep water running down the drain.

9. If you wash dishes by hand don’t leave water running for rinsing. This can use and excessive amount of water.

10. Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. This avoids needing to run the tap to get cooler drinking water especially in the summer.

11. Set your washing machine to the size of the load. This avoids excess water wastage.

12. Use mulch in the garden around trees and plants. This slows the evaporation of moisture and avoids unnecessary watering while keeping the plants healthy.

13. Use a broom or blower / vac to clean driveways and outdoor areas. Hundreds of Litres of water are wasted pushing a few leaves around.

14. Water the lawn only when it needs it. A good way is to step on the grass. If it springs back up again it doesn’t need watering.

15. Deep soak the lawn. When water your lawn make sure you soak the lawn long enough for the water to seep down to the roots. A light sprinkling only sits on the top and evaporates quickly. And make sure that the water actually goes onto the lawn! Watering the roof or your driveway is no good to anyone.