Women at work and their tips, challenges, advice, complaints, and experiences

In the Easy Environmentalism series here at Workerette I've touched on everything from simple ways to go green to a quickie spa recipe that will recycle your coffee grounds.  We've also discussed some of the basic differences between types of bottled water.

Looking back at that post about bottled water got me thinking about ways that each of us can cut back on water usage and save not only water but also some cash.  After all, the average family of four uses 400 gallons of water a day in the United States.  Indoor uses (such as showering) alone count for a good 70% of that amount - that's not even counting those folks whose yards look like golf greens.  If we implement one basic tip a day or a week, we can save trillions of gallons of water together, and billions of dollars in utility bills.  Sound good?  Then try these tips on for size:

1. Turn the faucet OFF:  When you're brushing your teeth or shaving, turn the water off until you actually need it.  Leaving the faucet running for two minutes while brushing your teeth sends more than 2 gallons of water down the drain.  Let a family of four do that twice a day and you're losing 16 gallons of water - A DAY!
2. Just CHILL:  If you're a big water drinking family, keep a pitcher or two of water in the fridge.  Top off the pitchers as they get low, rather than standing around running the faucet waiting for the water to get cold enough.  Your kitchen faucet probably runs at about a gallon a minute.  Wouldn't you rather that water be going to good use in filling your Brita pitcher than have it going down the drain?
3. Go with the LOW FLOW:  Was your home built before 1992?  You should probably replace your shower heads with low flow versions.  Not sure if you need a replacement?  Put a 1-gallon bucket in the shower - if it fills in 24 seconds or less, it's time to invest in a low flow version.  When you're done filling the bucket, use the water to water plants.  See - no waste even when you're testing for wasteful ways!

There are a lot more suggestions where these came from, so stay tuned!