This principle is about using water more efficiently in buildings and in the products we buy; tackling local flooding and water pollution.
Looking down on our little blue planet, we see it is quite a watery place with three-quarters of the Earth’s surface given over to water. However, only 3% of this water is fresh, and 2% of that is locked up in ice-caps, so drinking water is a very precious resource.
Although we think of England and Wales as wet places, they are also very densely populated and demand for water is high. There is actually less water available per person here than in many Mediterranean countries. London is drier than Istanbul and the South East of England is more water stressed than both Syria and Sudan (source). So water isn’t as abundant as we thought and we need to use it wisely. Water shortages don’t just affect us: they can harm our environment since our water comes from rivers and groundwater which is shared with wildlife and flora. Every drop we use has some effect on the environment.
How much water do we use?
People in London typically consume 190 litres of high quality drinking water every day (the UK average is 150 L/day). In America, it’s around 430 L/day. Our minimum requirements of water to carry out the most basic functions is 15 litres, and this is what refugee camps aim to provide as an absolute minimum. A typical breakdown for a UK person is given below:
Top tips for using less water
Using less water is great because it also saves energy. It means we have less to clean and process, and if it is hot water, we will save on our gas bill. Top tips are:
1. Install a hippo. Hippos are pouches you put in the toilet to save water on the flush. They typically save 3 litres of water per flush. You can Google it to find out more. Your local water company should give them to you for free. Else go head over to your local B&Q, they are very cheap.
2. Shorter showers. In Australia, they had to tell people to sing shorter songs in the shower (source) in the hope it would save water. We suggest you save your singing for the rain and have a longer lie-in. It doesn’t take that long to scrub yourself clean and you don’t just save water, you save energy too – saving more money.
3. Water butts and efficient gardening. Got a garden? Then there are some fantastic tips for saving water in the garden from the Royal Horticultural Society.
4. Turn off the taps and check for leaks. It’s sort of common sense, but make sure all taps are turned off when not in use (especially when brushing your teeth) and if you have any leaks (in your toilet or taps) get it checked out by a plumber as soon as you can.
5. Fit flow regulators. Flow regulators are really cheap and can be fitted to most taps. They basically limit the amount of flow coming out of the tap so it is just the right amount for your needs. They can also aerate the flow, which means you still get a high pressure flow, but use lots less water as there is little air bubbles in each droplet. Find out more here.
See also
Sutton and East Surrey Water – the local water company
ActOnCO2: Saving water. http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/actonco2/home/campaigns/save-water.html
