Water is a vital resource and a critical component to the survival of all life on earth in both anthropocentric and biocentric terms. However, due to climate change and the growing global population, fresh water quantities are depleting rapidly. This is understandable when considering that “Canadians currently use an average of 329 litres of water per day, ranking second to the United States in terms of highest per capita water use” (Jolicoeur 2009). In consideration of this alarming statistic, household water conservation is something that the world, specifically North America, needs to encourage.
Household water conservation is a method of conserving water that pertains to the everyday functions of people in their homes. Three of the most beneficial methods of household water conservation are to adjust the way one showers, reduce toilet flushes, and recycle water. These are all conservation methods that significantly lower water waste statistics. The results of worldwide dedication to this method of water conservation would prove extremely beneficial to quantities of available fresh water across the globe. Water conservation is essential for living beings, and this movement starts with the implementation of achievable and sustainable household water conservation methods.
One of the largest uses of water in the household environment today is the shower. Showers in the United States and Canada have been averaged to use approximately 11.6 gallons of water per capita per day (Mortillaro 2016), which is about 46 one-litre bottles of water. There are many ways in which people can reduce their environmental footprint when taking a shower. Through the installation of water saving shower heads (also known as low flow shower heads) one can reduce the amount of water being dispensed per minute and save a substantial amount of water. Another way to reduce water when showering is to take shorter and fewer showers. This is particularly impactful in developed countries where people tend to take longer showers. If these measures can be adopted, water waste numbers will fall dramatically and the world’s drinkable water will be in a much more sustainable position.
In addition to showers, one of the largest consumers of water in the household is the toilet. Toilets use an average of 3 gallons of water per flush (GPF) (Golan, A & Fenko, A 2015) which starts to add up very quickly when considering that one person uses the toilet approximately 6-8 times per day. One way to reduce the amount of water wasted per flush is to install a dual flush system. This provides two separate flush options: one small flush of approximately 1.45 GPF for liquid waste and one large flush of approximately 2.9 GPF for solid waste (Golan, A & Fenko, A 2015). This method has an overall savings rate of about 30% and because an average 45 litres are used each day, a great deal of water can be saved during the process (Prasad, T.D., Rylands, M., Aburas, H.M 2011). With the implementation of dual flush systems to households across the world, water waste due to toilets will decrease significantly. Managing the amount of water wasted as a result of unnecessary toilet flushing is a cheap and easy method of conserving water in the household environment.
In addition to both showering and flushing, one of the more unique and effective methods of water conservation is the use of recycled water. Commonly known as ‘grey water conservation’, this method of water conservation is the use of moderately clean wastewater from baths, sinks, washing machines, etc. to provide irrigation for the plants outside. This is a great alternative to the outside hose, which uses a large amount of water that has not yet been contaminated. Using grey water saves approximately 55.5 litres of water per day, per person and provides a nutritional fertilizer for plants in gardens because “grey water will contain more nutrients such as ammonia than water straight from the tap resulting in increased plant growth” (Prasad, T.D., Rylands, M., Aburas, H.M 2011).
Through the implementation and use of low-flow shower heads, dual flush toilets, and grey-water pipes, the consumption of water in the world (specifically North America) can be dramatically reduced. The use of these conservation methods will save homeowners money on their hydro bill, whilst also ensuring that future generations have a plentiful and responsibly monitored supply of drinkable water. Household water conservation is essential for the future of living beings, as we cannot have a future without safe, clean, and plentiful drinking water. As said by Stephen J. Farenga, A. B. Joyce and D. Ness, “It is evident from our reliance on water that conservation is imperative” (2004). The conservation of this non-renewable resource is of the upmost importance, thus enforcing the idea that people must become enlightened and dedicated to household water conservation as a method of ensuring humanity’s survival.
References
- Attari, S (2014) Perceptions of water use. National Academy of Sciences 111. 14. 5129-5134. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1316402111
- Farenga, SJ, Joyce, BA, Ness, D (2004) Drop by drop, liter by liter. Science Scope 27. 8. 05.42. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ722408&site=ehost-live&scope=site%5Cnhttp://www.nsta.org/middleschool
- Golan, A, Fenko, A (2015) Toward a sustainable faucet design: Effects of sound and vision on perception of running water. Environment and behaviour 47. 85-101. https://doi.org10.1177/0013916513493908
- Jolicoeur, T (2009) New study calls average water use by Canadians ‘alarming’. National Post Canwest News Service http://www.nationalpost.com/rss/study+calls+average+water+Canadians+alarming/1402591/story.html
- Mortillaro, N (2016) This is how much water Canadians waste. Global News Environment Network https://globalnews.ca/news/3016754/this-is-how-much-water-canadians-waste/
- Prasad, TD, Rylands, M, Aburas, HM (2011) Sustainable water supply systems: the present and future. International journal of construction project management 3. 3. 231-24. https://www.lib.uwo.ca/cgi-bin/ezpouthn.cgi?url=htp://search.proquest.cpm/docview/1711196960?accountid=15115