DH was standing at the sink. I looked at him, trying to figure why he was running the water. "I'm getting a drink," he explained, "and waiting for the water to cool down."
I should mention that DH likes COLD water with lots of ice. It was going to take a long time for the water to cool down enough for his liking.
As I watched him, I realized how much water was going down the drain, completely wasted. I then realized that I, too, had this habit of running tap water to cold to get a drink.
After my post yesterday about bottled water, I couldn't get water off my mind. How can we conserve more? After seeing DH getting his drink, and recognizing that I often did the same, I went on a search. And found it, hidden on the back counter in the laundry room, behind a pile of junk. Our old Brita filter jug, minus filter and top. They had broken a while ago, and the jug, until this moment, had been destined for the landfill.
I returned to the kitchen, and filled the jug. "If you want a drink," I said, "you can get cold water from the fridge." I placed the jug on the top shelf in the refrigerator.
He smiled and shrugged. "Another eco-change?" he asked.
"You bet," I replied.
Make sure you put a box of baking soda near the water. I've tried doing this, and my water always ends up tasting like onions or whatever is near it.
ReplyDeleteThanks - I'll make sure to do that. J.
ReplyDeletesomething else you can do is keep a basin in the sink. That way, if someone *does* run the faucet, the water goes into the basin, and not down the drain. Then you can use that water for soaking dishes, or if it is clean, watering house plants or what not.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea. I often have a pot or dish in the kitchen sink waiting to be washed (the joys of motherhood), so it usually does catch the excess water, but I never thought of leaving one there on purpose! :)
ReplyDeleteOkay so here's my water dilemma. Not related to the kitchen sink. We already leave a bowl in the sink and no one likes really cold water here so kitchen's no biggie. My issue, the shower. I remember when I was younger and watched M*A*S*H, they had to conserve water when in the shower and had the shower head with the chain to turn the water off. We already have low flow shower heads, but what a waste to let the water run while I'm shampooing or soaping up the rest of my anatomy. The shower head does have a shut off, but with wet soapy hands I waste more time (and water)trying to twist the settings off and on. Our pop up trailer has a neat little no fuss button on the outside shower wand because trailers have a limited supply of water and it's all about conservation. Why can't I find one like that for the house? I've tried everywhere. Hmmmmmmmm. Maybe a trailer one will fit in the house. Why didn't I think of that before?
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that Kathy, and let me know how it works out. Did you try Lee Valley or some other type of specialty hardware store?
ReplyDeleteReaders - any suggestions?
I completely understand your water dilemma, I personally struggle with it everyday. I went to a conference a few months ago where a met this girl: http://www.sierraclub.ca/en/blog/water?page=2
ReplyDeleteShe was doing a water challenge, trying to use a maximum of 25L of water per day, including the drinking water. I tried it for all of 4 days...I thought I was going to die...hehheee seriously I don't know how she did it, because just flushing is between 9-11L. Anyway, maybe her blog will give you some ideas, although you may find some are a bit extreme!
Thanks environmentalgoddess, I will check out her blog and yours! I'm still trying to see if I can cut down our water usage, but it's an uphill battle....
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