During the summer months, most of the activities that families like to do involve water. In fact, playing outside in the water or camping by a body of water are two of the most enjoyed family activities each summer across the Country.
It’s no wonder that during the summer months, some cities actually report droughts in their area because so much water is being used. These droughts can be very destructive, especially to those families that live on farms and produce crops for their livelihood.
For instance, if every person in the US flushed the toilet one less time per day, the amount of water that could be saved would fill a lake that was one mile long by one mile wide by four feet deep. That’s a lot of water!
There are a lot of water-saving habits that you and your family can do around the house. And, all of them can have a tremendous impact on the environment as well as your monthly water bill. Here are some more fun facts for you and your family to learn about water, and hopefully, inspire more water-saving:
- Using a standard dishwasher to wash your dishes will use 6 gallons of water per load. An energy-efficient model of the dishwasher will use approximately 4 gallons of water. And, hand washing a load of dishes will use nearly 20 gallons of water each time. It is always best to run the dishwasher to wash dishes and make sure that it is a full load.
- The less meat and dairy that you eat, the smaller your water footprint is. This is due to the indirect water usage such as feeding and washing the animal and machinery.
- Doing laundry is responsible for 22% of all indoor water usage. Make sure that you only wash full loads of laundry and, re-use towels for several days before you wash them.
Saving water is an important activity for all families to do all year round. While it is not as fun as playing in the water, it can have a tremendous impact on not only the environment but also on your water bill.