3 Ways To Save Water (You May Not Have Thought Of)

We live in the hot, dry desert. Yet with our water-saving skills, we use so little of the precious resource that we’re only ever charged the minimum monthly amount. In fact, we use less water in an entire year in our home than it takes to produce about four pounds of beef! We do many things to be conscious about our usage, here are just three.

1. Change Your Shower Head

One of the ways we save water in our house is by keeping the water flow about half when we take a shower (we also turn it way down, or even off when we lather up). But if you have low pressure to begin with, this will create an awful shower experience. No one wants a drizzly low-pressure shower. It takes more time to rinse clean, which wastes water, and it’s altogether unsatisfying. The solution is to replace your old shower head with something that uses less water and increases your pressure.

We have the Oxygenics and it works great.

There are lots of options, here are a couple articles to help you with your research:

A Great Shower

Apartment Therapy

 

 

 

2. Eat Less Meat

The majority of the US’s water is being used by livestock and big agriculture, not the average householder. However, as consumers, we can make a huge impact with our buying power. Everything we eat needs water to be produced. For example, to make bread, we water wheat, then it’s ground and mixed with water to form a dough. Learning about this hidden usage, sometimes called virtual water or food footprint, helps us make smart choices on how we spend.

Here is a great article on how much water it takes to produce a pound of a variety of foods. Meat and animal products are the heaviest users of water. If there was only one thing you could do to make an enormous impact on protecting the environment, it would be eat no meat. If you really love and need to get your protein through animal sources, then grass-fed beef and small farm production is generally the water-friendly option.

3. Adjust Your Irrigation

If it were up to me, there’d be no lawns here in the southwest. It’s a desert and it makes no sense to waste our dwindling water supply on grass. Some people really do use their lawns for playing or to lie out and enjoy fresh air, but most lawns are ornamental. I, personally, vote for xeriscaping with the addition of a small vegetable garden.

Whether you have a lawn or not, how you irrigate can save you bundles. Your yard’s water needs vary seasonally and your irrigation needs to reflect that change. If it’s raining, please turn off your sprinklers. If water is running off your lawn and down the street, your irrigation needs to be adjusted. If your sprinklers water the sidewalk, they’re wasting water.

Take the time to fix leaks, adjust watering frequency and the aim of your sprinklers.

More Reading

The Environmental Protection Agency has a page dedicated to greening your home, much of which has to do with water usage. You can read their article here.

Water Use It Wisely has a fantastic infographic with over 100 ways to lower your water usage, both inside your house and out. Check it out here.

Wikihow’s page shows cute cartoon drawings with their suggestions on conserving water. Find it here.