Water is everywhere. It makes up most of the earth’s surface, and it even makes up most of the human body. We couldn’t survive without water—and the earth couldn’t either.

All of this water sounds promising, doesn’t it? But, 97% of the earth’s water is contained in the ocean as salt water, leaving only 3% as fresh water. Of that 3% fresh water, 2.4% is frozen in ice sheets, leaving less than 1% of our planet’s fresh water in lakes, rivers or underground. That’s less than 1% of the earth’s water in fresh, drinkable form. For over 6 billion people! We can’t afford to waste a single drop, and here’s how you can help:

Plumbing
Replace old toilets and faucets with low flow devices and fix leaks to keep water use at a minimum. Even the smallest leak can waste 50 or more gallons of water a day. Larger leaks can waste hundreds of gallons each day.

Turn off the water when you’re brushing your teeth
There’s no need to let water just pour down the drain. You can save 2 gallons of water each time you brush, just by turning off the tap.

Take shorter showers
Everyone can help conserve water by taking shorter showers. Showers can use five to ten gallons of water every minute. By cutting down your shower by just 5 minutes, you can conserve as much as 50 gallons of water a day.

Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes
The typical washer uses 30 to 35 gallons of water in a cycle. By only washing full loads, we can all limit and reduce the amount of water used. Keep in mind that the newer front-loading washing machines use significantly less water—and they have special sensors that adjust the amount of water depending on how full the load is.

No trash in toilets
Flushing kleenex or other bathroom trash down the toilet is a waste of water. Use the trash can instead.

Use hairtraps
Hair is one of the most common substances that clogs drains, and it can eventually cause leaks or backups in the plumbing systems. Leaks can waste 50 or more gallons of water a day, and chemicals in drain openers are very toxic to aquatic life.

Don’t overwater your garden
Check sprinkler heads for leaks. Turn off timers during rain storms and never water during the hottest time of the day (between 10 and 4pm). Drip irrigation systems will also help save water. You can save an incredible amount of water by replacing parts of your lawn with native and drought resistant plants.