Water is essential to human life.
On average, according to WWF, "While per capita water consumption is around 150 litres per day, only 1% of this volume is actually drunk. Globally, water consumption has increased sixfold in a century. As drinking water resources dwindle, their waste accelerates."
Water that can be saved
According to the Water Information Centre, 93% of the water we use at home is for hygiene and cleaning, and 7% for food. The largest share is used for baths and showers: on average, 40% of our total consumption.
Therefore, it's reasonable to assume that millions of litres are wasted each year due to bad habits and poor practices. However, we can make significant savings that will have a very positive impact on the planet. By combining these small daily actions, we can prevent the loss of a huge amount of water. So, how can we, as a family, reduce our water consumption at home?
Our tip for reducing your water consumption
Here are several easy tips to implement with your children to limit water usage:
When you choose a shower over a bath (for example, when you wash your face with Soft Foam), you use between 20 and 50 litres of water per day per person; while bath lovers use between 120 and 150 litres of water per day per person. After just one week, the difference is already enormous, with 500 to 700 litres of water saved—that's the weight of a horse!
An additional tip for your shower: you can use music to help you know how long to stay in. When the music ends, it's time to get out…
For brushing teeth, encourage your children to use a glass of water rather than leaving the tap running. Leaving a tap running while brushing your teeth wastes 1 to 2 litres of water each time, or about 1,000 litres per year.
The last household water use that we can easily and significantly impact is flushing the toilet. In fact, water used in bathrooms can account for up to 30 litres per household. How can you reduce the volume of water each time you use it? Simply place a stone, a small bottle filled with liquid, or any other slightly heavy object directly into the toilet tank. This will expand the tank's volume and prevent it from completely refilling each time. Rest assured, this won't damage the mechanism; it simply allows you to use less water: up to 5 litres less per day, which translates to over 1,500 litres saved annually.
As you can see, all these little tips can make a difference and allow you to actively, yet easily, contribute to reducing our precious water supply.
Now it's your turn to get involved with your children! Learning good habits from a young age is essential for taking care of the planet throughout your life.
