Could You Go Water-free?
For 24 hours, I went on a water diet. No, it’s not the next fad in weight loss; it was an experiment in using less of one of the earth’s most precious resources.
My assignment began first thing in the morning as I fumbled for my toothbrush, still in a sleep-induced haze. I mindlessly reached for the faucet, but before a single drop was wasted, I stopped myself. I decided to take my toothbrush into the shower, where I could multitask my cleansing.
I’ve long since abandoned one of my favorite (wasteful) luxuries -- the 20-minute shower. But this morning, I put myself on the clock to see how much of my normal routine I could squeeze in while using as little water as possible.
With my toothbrush ready and my two-in-one shampoo/conditioner in hand, I turned on the faucet. In a mad dash of suds and scrubbing, I managed to wash my face, hair and body, and to brush my teeth in less than five minutes. Success! Sure, it wasn’t as relaxing as my usual routine, but I left the shower feeling energized and completely clean.
After dressing, I strolled into the kitchen, where a small stack of dinner dishes remained from the night before. I took a deep breath and came up with a strategy to tackle the task at hand using as little water as possible. Because our sink only has one large basin, I decided that it would be best to do the dishes in shifts.
First, I filled up the sink with a small amount of soapy water. After scraping the dishes, I dipped each one in the sudsy water, scrubbed it and set it aside. Once each plate took a soapy plunge, I drained the sink, filled it with a small amount of clean water, rinsed each dish and placed it on the rack to dry.
The process seemed to take a bit longer than my usual habit of leaving the water running as I scrubbed and rinsed each plate individually, but knowing that I consumed half the amount of water than usual made the extra two minutes feel worth it. And because my shower was so much shorter in the morning, I noticed that I was still ahead of schedule as I walked out the door.
Throughout the day, I found a few more ways to use less. In the restroom, I considered whether it was necessary to flush. Because I was in a public stall, I decided yes; if I had been at home, though, I think I could have held off. Afterward, when I went to wash my hands, I soaped up first, and then turned the water on to rinse.
That night, I met a friend at a restaurant for dinner and asked the waiter to leave our silverware and table settings between courses. Although it was a small gesture, the restaurant had to wash fewer cutleries at the end of the day, which meant less water was used for our meal.
Before bed, I turned the water off while brushing my teeth and quickly splashed my face clean.
Although it took practice to be more mindful, after a day of water-dieting, I saw how very little I had to change to make a difference. My assignment may officially be over, but I think my work to save water has just begun.
Leave a Comment
Could You Go Water-free?
Posted on July 15, 2011
Doh!!! "One of the earth’s most precious resources."; no. Ever been to the beach? What percentage of the earth do you think is covered with water? I bet you think CO2 is a pollutant as well!
Could You Go Water-free?
Posted on October 16, 2011
To the above commenter - very little of the Earth's water is available for human consumption. Sure, there's lots of water on Earth, but only a small fraction of that can actually be used by us. Besides, you can cut down on the water bill too! To the author - I already do all the things you mention and then some. How can I cut down further on water use?
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Posted on April 14, 2012
Thanks for the sensible ictirque. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do some research on this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more from this post. I am very glad to see such fantastic information being shared freely out there.
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Posted on May 28, 2012
Are you sure you're not allergic to beer? Yes, wiuhtot question, drinking enough water really does help my nose a lot. It's weird that it's more prone to be runny when I have less water in my body: what's up with that? I haven't tested the beer thing, as I don't drink alcohol, though I imagine it still basically would accomplish the hydration, though I really would look into whether you're allergic to anything in your beer. For most of my life, I thought everyone got a runny nose from drinking too much milk. When I finally asked around and discovered it's not a universal experience, I realized that I must be mildly allergic! Doesn't stop me from eating cold cereal, but I try to keep it moderate, and I know not to drink a glass of the stuff. Does the whole family stick to it? Yes and no. It's hard to say exactly what they would do wiuhtot me here or if I didn't apply constraints (i.e. we're only ordering water, kids. AWW DAD!!!) Most of it's real based on my own personal habits and what I control. If my wife would consistently keep the McDonald's trips to once a week, we'd be saving a good bit more! I believe that every little step in a positive direction is worthwhile, especially steps that are applied consistently and form habits. My water habit that I've developed over time has resulted in a lot of savings and a greater feeling of well-being.So what do you think, Matt? Do you think you might start drinking more water? Thanks for the note!
