4 wacky ways to save water you've probably never heard of
Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
Stop the drips in your faucet.
Ya ya – you’ve heard it all – and maybe you do it all!
But now you’re looking for a new challenge to reduce your water footprint.
With World Water Day coming up on March 22nd, now is the best time to establish new routines and water-saving ideas in 2022.
Why is it important to conserve water?
Well – it’s complicated, but not really. Water is an important natural resource – but we don’t treat it like one. We’re constantly wasting water. Read on to learn 4 wacky ways to save water that you’ve probably never heard of.
Idea 1: The Shower Calendar
You heard us! The Shower Calendar. The Shower Calendar is a piece of technology that consists of a display of the showers taken. People can identify themselves by pressing a button when using water. A large dot of the user’s personal colour appears at the current date in a calendar-like matrix.
The dot represents 60 liters – which is roughly based on an estimated consumption of water of 20-40 liters per day and person in Germany. The dot then shrinks until the user either stops the water – or the full amount of 60 liters has been spent. When approaching 60 liters, the dot becomes very small, but still , a visible record of the shower taken.
The shower calendar visually helps households see how much water they are consuming from flushing, showering, and washing their hands/brushing their teeth. It can be a unique way to understand water consumption for families and help them better benchmark a path to water conservation. You can learn more about it by watching this video.
Idea 2: The "No Poo" Technique
No – we aren’t telling you to hold your poop. That would be inhumane! But we do mean no “shampoo”. “Ewww! Gross.” is probably your first reaction.
But not so fast. Could you shampoo your hair less often? Most shampoos strip the hair of sebum – a natural oil that helps keep your hair strong, protected and moisturized.
Even hairstylists say you can go a few days without washing your hair – yet many people wash their hair daily.
Idea 3: Less Loads
You know laundry can be loads of fun, but you can actually do it less.
How often do you really need to wash your clothes, bras, towels, bedding, etc.
If a stain appears, consider spot-cleaning it with an eco-friendly detergent. Hang your recently worn clothing to air out for another wear before washing.
You’ll save water, energy, prevent microplastic pollution and lighten your household bills to save money.
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Idea 4: Yellow=Mellow Brown=Flush it Down
Ya , you’ve heard this one, that’s for sure. But have you actually considered doing this at home? You probably do it at the cottage anyway, so why not have the practice carry on to your daily lives? Ya sure, it’s weird and it’s wacky … but it’s doable, and it can make a difference!
Older toilets can use 5 to 7 gallons per flush, while a low-flow toilet may use as little as 1.6 gallons. If the average person flushes five times a day, those gallons can really add up. Both of these are Green Actions you can log on our free mobile app. Learn to track your eco-impact.
Which one of these do you think you can do?
If you liked this article, check out further actionable tips you can take to protect your local waterways in this blog post here.
Do you have any Wacky Water saving ideas you can share with the community?
Feel free to share them along with this article on your socials!
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