Water Spy

What is the connection between water and GHG emissions? Wasting water wastes electricity. This is because water treatment and supplying water requires vast amounts of energy and much of that energy comes from the burning of fossil fuels.

1. Stop unnecessarily running water.
   Don't run water unnecessarily at a water fountain, when washing dishes or brushing your teeth. Save up to 25 liters per minute by turning of the water when brushing your teeth.
   
2. Take a quick shower instead of a bath.
   Heating of water can account for 1/4 of your home's energy use. Shorter showers use less hot water. A five-minute shower uses up to 50% less hot water than a bath.
   
3. Have a low flow shower.
   Save up to 0.4 tonnes of GHGs per year by installing a low flow showerhead or keeping the shower flow at a low volume. This is because a low flow shower head uses up to 60% less water.
   
4. Turn off taps tightly and check that they are not dripping.
   A faucet the leaks enough to fill a soda bottle in a half hour will waste about 8,000 liters of water per year.
   
5. Wash in warm water and rinse in cold water.
   You can save 50% less energy by using warm water rather than hot water when washing clothes. Clothes rinsed in cold water come out just as clean.
   
6. Water grass and flower beds early in the morning.
   To stay green and healthy, most lawns and gardens only need 2 to 3 cm of water per week. The air temperature rises during the day resulting in more water evaporation. Also, 50% of the water from a sprinkler evaporates before hitting the ground.
   
7. Install a toilet dam in the water tank of your toilet.
   Toilets that are not low flush toilets can use 18 to 26 liters of clean water with every flush. By placing a water filled plastic liter soda bottle in the toilet tank, 11 liters of water can be saved per flush!

Let’s go to element 3 – and fuel some change!

Small actions add up to make a TONNE of difference!