You were most certainly taught in school about water conservation and how to do it. As an adult, you should still be aware of it. Of course, awareness should translate into consistent efforts. Ask yourself whether you take shorter showers or whether you turn off the faucet as you brush your teeth or shave.
According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), each family in the U.S. uses about 300 gallons of water every day in their homes. Seventy percent of which happens indoors.
The earth is about 71 percent water, and it just circles around as people use it—about 0.3 percent of it constantly being recycled again and again. Therefore, we don’t lose it, but we don’t gain more, either.
One leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water in 24 hours. With this, you should have your sewer line checked out once you notice something wrong. For a clogged sewer line, a sewer cleanout is the solution. Remember that good plumbing can help you save water.
But why is water conservation beneficial for human life?
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Reduces Drought and Prevents Water and Food Shortage
When we use water, it eventually returns to Earth, which refers to the water cycle. However, water does not always return to the same place where people take it from; it does not retain its amount and quality, either.
Our need for freshwater is always increasing because of constant population and industry growth. Even so, the water supply stays constant. So by conserving water, we also protect the future generation from years of drought.
As the global population is increasing, the demand for food is increasing as well. Humans use about 70 percent of water for crops, livestock, and food production. If the water becomes scarce, food prices will rise, and more people will have less access to nutritious food. Thus, water conservation will help maintain the water supply the food production industry needs.
A typical hamburger requires 630 gallons of water to be produced, as informed by National Geographic. This is also one of the reasons why many people switch their lifestyle to veganism.
Helps Preserve the Environment
Besides saving money on your utilities, you can help prevent water pollution in local lakes and rivers near you. Saving water prevents greenhouse gas pollution since it takes a heavy amount of energy to pump, treat, and heat water. In fact, three percent of the country’s energy is spent on water distribution.
Another thing is your septic system can be preserved for several more years if you help conserve water. This diminishes saturation and pollution because of leaks.
It Also Helps Aquatic Life
Water is essential not only to humans but to every other species on the planet as well. Without clean water, aquatic environments and creatures will cease to survive.
Marine life is also humans’ source of food and even livelihood. Fisheries and aquaculture save and support living sources for families, which is about 12 percent of the world’s population.
Clean Water Crisis
Significantly, without a clean environment, health and well-being will be at risk. Conserving water affects not only water alone but also the air you breathe and the food and other products you consume.
According to the United Nations, the use of water has been exceeding more than twice the rate of population growth in the last century. With this, there will be more than millions of people who will experience water scarcity. How we save this is now the challenge humanity is facing. If we don’t take action, the future generation will suffer.
Practicing Water Conservation at Home
The shower is where water is used the most in your home, especially if you’re living with many people. Naturally, people shower every day, and a five-minute shower would be enough for each member of the household. This only uses as few as 25 gallons per person if you’re using a conventional shower head.
If you need to wash dishes manually, fill up the sink with the amount of water you need instead of letting it run nonstop as you wash and rinse. When washing fruits and vegetables, fill up a bowl with water and rinse them right in there. It might surprise you how much water you’ll end up saving by doing this.
By starting water conservation at home, you can help the world become a better place. Imagine how much difference you and your family can make. Fixing a leak, cleaning drain pipes, and scraping your plates instead of rinsing them before putting them into the dishwasher are small actions that will make a big difference in time.