With all the rain and snow we've had this year, do we really need to conserve water? After all, water is constantly being cleaned and recycled through the Earth's water cycle that we all learned about in the second grade, right?
The truth is we need to be extremely conscious about conserving water. People are using our scarce fresh water supplies at a much faster rate than it can be naturally be replenished. Only 1% of all the water on Earth is usable and we use 98% of that 1% for industrial and agricultural purposes…so very little is left over for the nutrition and health of every living organism.
So it's quite easy to see why we need to protect and care for our water…our survival depends on it.
Fortunately, saving water is really easy: just use less. Here are just a few things you can do:
Try a "Navy shower" - A good model of water conservation is the United States Navy. Naval ships carry their own fresh water supply and have limited capacity to replenish this reserve while at sea. The Navy shower was created to use the least amount of water possible.
How to take a Navy shower:
Don't Be a Drip - A dripping faucet can waste up to 2,000 gallons a year, make sure you turn the faucet completely after each use. Does your toilet make a hissing sound? That usually means there is a leak. A running toilet can waste as much as 6,000 gallons of water every month! If you notice one of these problems, try to get it corrected quickly.
Have your own good ideas? We'd love to hear it, share them in the comments below!
