Day #4 and #5:

How Much Water Do I Use?

Now that we’ve spent some time observing how and what we toss in the trash, let’s shift our attention to how we use water in our daily lives.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to be aware of how long your shower is every day.

For the next two days simply time your shower and record the time – in minutes – on your worksheet.

Next, use the formula on your worksheet to determine how many gallons of water you used while showering.

Just like with our trash observations, we aren’t judging!!  We are simply trying to get a sense of how we are currently doing things and to be aware of our actions.

But, our planet is covered by water so why conserve it? 

Earth is covered by water (71% to be approximate) but 96.5% is salt water which requires a lot of work to make it suitable to drink and use. And, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, each person in the U.S. uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day.

Fresh (non-salty) water is NOT unlimited – even though it seems like it is when its flowing from your faucets! It’s vital that we do our part to conserve it for future generations.

In addition, using less water helps to conserve energy. If you use less water, less water will go down your drain and need to be treated at a wastewater facility which is powered by electricity!  

Finally, conserving water is also important to help preserve freshwater habitats and water quality for animals and other wildlife.

For more about why it’s SO important to conserve water, check out this video.