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What are the best ways to stop wasting water?
I stumbled upon a GOOD graph on this topic entitled "Every drop counts" (http://awesome.good.is/transparency/web/1108/water-usage/flat.html). According to the graph a family of four needs about 3 gallons of water per day, whereas US families can use up to 400 gallons.
It is a fact that water is becoming an increasingly precious resource and that we cannot afford to waste it. The graph already provides some good tips on how to reduce the wastage, but I was wondering what other things can help save water, and by this I mean not only direct methods such as repairing your dripping faucet, but also indirect ones such as eating less meat as 1 kilogram of meat needs a lot more gallons of water to actually produce.
I am looking forward to your answers!
hogugo mukako
avarage consuming of water for one person is 150liters per day according to the authorities.When it comes to americans(not for all,generally speaking) this is out of the limit they can consume also they are out of the all kind of limitation restrictations.What we are supposed to do is that if the water is the one vital right we have got to know how to share this water resources for human being.Because of our greedy that's why somali can not find any water.We must teach our children to SHARE.That might be the solution.
Douglas Elliot
This of course has now been replaced by chemical fertilizers.
Ria Navarro
Brian Cartwright
I'm hoping to see a TED talk on biochar before long!
Amrut Deshmukh
Brian Cartwright
Amrut Deshmukh
Walter Radtke
Thomas Brucia
Michael Smith
Chris Pavlis
Gareth Dawson
Chris Pavlis
Farrukh Yakubov 50+
Walter Radtke
Large scale aqueducts would be like an irrigation system on steroids. You simply take snow melt from regions that produce a surplus that drains into the ocean unused and pipe it to where it is needed, such as desert areas which can be developed to the point where we could feed 100 times the world's present population and create modern, ergonomic cities and move populations from overcrowded urban centers. We need to open up the Buckminster Fuller manual and create a design science revolution.
Conor O'Higgins 20+
Nearly every house can supply its water needs with a simple rainwater cistern plus slow sand filter. There are plenty of local studies proving this is viable in most parts of the world, even the dry 'n' dusty ones. Example: this UN report on rainwater harvesting in Africa - http://www.unep.org/documents.multilingual/default.asp?DocumentID=485&ArticleID=5420&l=en - or the 'Million Cisterns' project in Bahia. The bottom line is: even dry places can get most of their water from their rooves. Why build gigantic aqueducts and nuclear desalination plants when you have distilled water falling on your head?
Anyway, the big fish for water conserving efforts has got to be agriculture. Why? Because 70% of human water use is agricultural. So how do we decrease this draw? Make agriculture as water-efficient as possible; maximize 'crop per drop'. Again, case studies show that very simple methods in very dry places will do the job nicely. I'm talking about trees, mulch, swales and other earthworks. Another UN report - http://www.fao.org/nr/clim/docs/clim_080901_en.pdf - says this, "Since the beginning of the 1980s, in Niger, 250,000 hectares of severely degraded land were recuperated by using simple techniques such as zai, half-moon and retaining walls."
250,000 hectares of desert were turned into productive farmland! If that doesn't excite you, you have no soul. And it can be done with just stone walls, pits and that sort of thing.
jaeyun hwang
Walter Radtke
Sabin Muntean 30+
Nuclear power is controversial as it is, but placing the plants right next to the sea would basically mean asking for trouble, look at Japan.
What do you have in mind by large scale aqueducts? Sounds interesting.
Pritam Malick
Water is going to be precious in the near future.In India,most developed agricultural states like Punjab,Haryana,West bengal,this scarcity of water is in alarming state.Not only scarcity of not getting drinking water,another major problem is to get afected by diseases like gangrene due to presense of Arsenic.
Another thing is the drinking water we take is above its permitted pH value.In most cases villagers get nothing but this,that are acidic in nature.
So 1 thing is sure.We have to stop it.From my short memory I have seen the best way to stop ths wastage is to provide tht and that only water to the people by the corporation.In rural areas,where awareness is the only cure.they have the vast amount of unused drinking water.This water should be preserved.Then that preserved water must be kept in control.
Another natural source is Rain.In a recent research,it reveals if we make this whole amount of rainwater count in suitable manner,then this headache may be relieved in many countries.
Now, we can only hope people understand the need of it and take their responsibility to stop this wastage immediately.
tishe Hires 10+
Nicholas Grose
Krisztián Pintér 200+
Cheyenne Lin
Chris Pavlis
Comment deleted
stephen dalton
Paul Legg
My definition wouldn't be someone taking excessively long showers, as that water that goes down the drain doesn't leave the planet. Yes it does have to make its way through a wastewater treatment plant but eventually either collect into rivers and lakes or evaporate and fall as rain.
I would consider wasting water any act that leaves it in an unusable conditions. For example, industrial manufacturing that contaminates water in it's processes. Another waste would be ethanal, that not only uses food for fuel, but it takes a lot of water to create that food.
Krisztián Pintér 200+
the remark about polluting the water is spot on though.
Chris Pavlis
E G 10+
Amrut Deshmukh
There are a number of ways to save water, and they all start with you.
#2 When washing dishes by hand, don't let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
#3 Some refrigerators, air conditioners and ice-makers are cooled with wasted flows of water. Consider upgrading with air-cooled appliances for significant water savings.
#4 Adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street.
#5Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full. You can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
#6 Choose shrubs and groundcovers instead of turf for hard-to-water areas such as steep slopes and isolated strips.
#7 Install covers on pools and spas and check for leaks around your pumps.
#8 Use the garbage disposal sparingly. Compost vegetable food waste instead and save gallons every time.
#9 Plant in the fall when conditions are cooler and rainfall is more plentiful.
For cold drinks keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap. This way, every drop goes down you and not the drain.
#11 Monitor your water bill for unusually high use. Your bill and water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks.
#12 Water your lawn and garden in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to minimize evaporation.
#13 Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.
#14 Spreading a layer of organic mulch around plants retains moisture and saves water, time and money.
#15Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk and save water every time.
carole lyc
+1- Don't let the tap running while brushing your teeth;
+2- Don't let your shower running while soaping during bathing.
If everyone observes, imagine how much water can be saved daily!
Amrut Deshmukh
Conor O'Higgins 20+
For instance, if you live in a rainy country, have a good rainwater catchment system, and your runoff goes into the ocean, then you should go ahead and take long showers. Long showers are nice!
Conserving water is a good idea for most people, of course. I'm not trying to discount that, but I do think the environmentalist movement sometimes focuses on accounting-style equations at the expense of a sensible understanding of the actual cycles and processes of nature.