by Aileen Pablo
Saving water is one of the top ways homes are doing their part to help the environment and reduce their carbon footprint. Ecological mothers in particular are teaching their children about the benefits of this practice, as well as the easy ways they can save water with their daily habits. While there are some obvious and easy ways to conserve this valuable resource, such as turning the faucet off while you and your children brush your teeth and keep showers shorter, there are other ways that many people may not be aware of. Some are expensive and include buying new hardware for the home. While these are highly beneficial, they are not always ideal for mom’s who are not only trying to live in an ecologically friendly way, but also in a way that does not drain the bank account.
Here are some unique ways you can save water without going broke.
- Share water at restaurants – When you take your children out to eat, it has become common practice for waiters and waitresses to bring a full tall glass of water for each person dining. When you leave the table, it is most likely rare that each glass of water is empty. Instead, encourage your children to share their glass of water. This way, children are more likely to finish it, they learn sharing skills and fewer resources are tossed down the drain.
- Wash fruits and vegetables in a pot – Rinsing fruit and vegetables to get them clean is important. But doing so under running water can cause you to waste more than you may realize. Instead, wash your fruit and vegetables in a pot. This is a great way to get the children involved in the cooking in a way that is safe while also teaching them good habits when it comes to saving water.
- Assign glasses for drinking water – Each day families consume large amounts of water. While this is healthy, washing each glass after a person has finished their drink can use more water than you may realize. Instead, assign glasses for drinking water to you and your children and wash them only once throughout the day. This can save quite a bit of water and the hassle of continuously washing dishes.
- Reuse water that is still relatively clean – When you rinse your vegetables or boil them in water, you are left with water that while not drinkable, is still healthy to be used for watering plants. Create a system with your children where you can water the plants together each day with all of the left over water from the night before. This is another fun way to get them involved with items around the house and in the garden while reinforcing the importance of watching resource usage and conservation.
- Take a trip to the hair salon – This tip may sound strange at first, but longer hair takes more resources to maintain. From the water it uses to wash and rinse, you could be spending longer than necessary in the shower. While you do not need to shave everyone’s head, keeping your family’s hair shorter can help lower how much time is spent in the shower and how much water is used to maintain the beautiful locks of you and your baby girls.
- Choose powdered detergent over liquid – There is quite a bit of excess water added into liquid detergents that is unnecessary. Choose powdered over liquid and talk to your children about the decision. The earlier on they learn to make smart purchasing decisions the more of a habit it will become, not only with water but with other environmentally friendly choices. Powdered detergents are also usually less expensive than liquid so your pocketbook will thank you as well.
Using these tips, saving water without spending a lot of money is easy. Your children learn by example and when you teach them to save water by giving them unique examples of where they can cut back on their usage, the more likely they will be to continue doing the same in the future.
Aileen Pablo is part of the team behind Open Colleges, one of Australia’s leading providers of TAFE courses equivalent and interior design courses. When not working, Aileen blogs about travel, lifestyle, home improvement, and beauty tips. She is also often invited as a speaker in Personality Development Seminars in the Philippines. If you have a blog and would like free content. You can find her on Google+.
Water in a Jug via Shutterstock
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