Water Efficiency
Most of us take our water supply for granted, but
wasting water not only wastes your money (up to £200 per year!),
but also carbon emissions.
Because all of the water we use, for flushing toilets, washing
clothes and watering the garden is of the same drinking water
(potable) quality, the amount of energy and chemicals needed
to collect, process and pump this water is very high and
contributes to climate change. In addition, large amounts of water
is needed to produce our food and drink (e.g. 1000 litres of water
is used to make 1 pint of milk) so it is important not to waste
these either. Litter, fats and oils and household chemicals are a
real problem for the water environment and the biodiversity within
it, and in addition, it is
important not to flush certain items 
down the toilet.
Grey water harvesting is a great place to start and has benefits
even if there is plenty of rain. Invest in a water butt to water
your plants and wash cars. Rainwater is better for plants
than mains water. A good tip to combat bugs such as greenfly on
your plants is to use washing up water on them, they hate it!
In dry spells, keep the compost bin damp to ensure it continues
to biodegrade quickly – maybe keep an old bucket next to your bin
and tip the rainwater that collects in it over your bin every few
days.
Advice water efficiency is available
from Severn
Trent and there are some interesting facts and figures about water
footprints available from Water footprint.
