1.  Don’t Be A Sap, Drink From The Tap

Drinking from the tap saves energy (bottling & hauling bottles), saves money (.01 per gallon of tap vs. $1.00-$8.00 per gallon bottled) and must meet more intensive Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements in comparison to bottled water. * (MWRA-2007 Annual Report)

2.  Don’t Leave The Water Running

While lathering up your hands and brushing your teeth, turn the water off.  Use it for rinsing only.  You still get the job done but without all the waste.

3.  Air It Out

Use water-conserving aerators in sinks and showers.  Low-flow faucet aerators save 1.5 gallons per minute and showerheads save between 2 and 4 gallons per minute. *( Massachusetts Water Resource Authority-MWRA)

4.  Let It Flow

Low-flow toilets and urinals save water and the bottom line. Toilets account for over a third of the water used in businesses. A change to high-efficiency toilets alone reduces toilet water use by over 50% and indoor water use by an average of 16%. *Low-flow toilets use a maximum of 1.6 gallons of water per flush compared with about 3.5 gallons of water used by a standard toilet.  *(EPA-Wastewater technology. fact sheet)

5.  Check For Leaks

That trickling sound you hear in the bathroom could be a leaky toilet wasting 50 gallons of water a day.  A fixed leak is water in the tank and money in the bank.

6.  Cool It In The Refrigerator

Use the refrigerator to keep water cold instead of running the tap for cold water.

7.  Rinse & Re-Use

Keep a mug, cup or glass with your name on it and re-use it.  If you have to wash dishes use a tub for soap water and a tub for rinse water instead of running water the whole time.  If you have a dishwasher don’t run it unless it’s full.

8.  Don’t Drain It

When you need to run excess water, collect it in a tub and water office plants.

9  Company Grounds

If you have a garden or outdoor area try trees and plants like, White Oak, Marigolds or Cosmos.  Many trees, shrubs and flowers are drought resistant and can survive without supplemental watering.

10.  How Many Gallons!?

Think “water” before you buy.   It takes water to make almost everything… Behind that morning cup of coffee, there are 140 liters of water consumed to grow, produce, package and ship the beans.  For a single hamburger, an estimated 2,400 liters of water are needed.   In the USA, the average person consumes nearly 7,000 liters of virtual water every day. *(Prof. John Anthony Allan of the University of London-virtual water calculator)