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Saving water, one sink at a time
by Wil Wood

Trendy Environmental Warrior, welcome to another quick list of ways to save the world. Today, is all about water...and that's a big one. Now, we know the world is covered in water and you would think we'd be fine—unfortunately, only two percent of the world's water is fresh (and that doesn't mean clean). Water shortage is already a world crisis, so let's get to the list.

A puddle saved is a puddle earned. You may have seen giant jugs collecting rain water from a house's gutter system. The people of that home are harvesting rain water. Instead of wasting all that rain, these jugs collect the water for later uses. One of the best uses? Chlorine and chemical free gardening water. (Be sure to first check your local laws regarding harvesting rain water.)
Turn it off. You may remember this tip, but I'm going to refresh your memory. Sinks are powerful and can put out a gallon of water in a couple minutes. So whenever you are brushing your teeth, or shaving. Cut off the water when you aren’t using it.
Fix your leaks. In middle school, I remember a class full of shocked students when they found out that a leaky faucet wastes more water then a bath and shower combined! So it’s time to pull out your wrench and run around looking for leaks. Don’t forget to check your hose outside!
Refreshing Cold Beverage. Need cold water? Instead of letting the water run in a sink until the water is cold enough, just put some in the fridge. The water will be crisp, fresh, and you won’t be sending unused water down the drain to get it
If its yellow...Alright, Alright, not everyone can follow the "If its yellow, let it mellow" toilet rule, and I'm not asking you to. (Unless you are a hardcore warrior) But don’t use the toilet to dispose of things like bugs and whatnot. Not all things need a watery grave.
Load it up. A lot of jobs that require you to wear a uniform, and then only give you one to wear don’t seem to care about water because a half full load of laundry is just a waste. The same can be said for dishwashers. If you want to be a Green King (Or Queen) shove as much dirty laundry and dirty dishes into one load as you can!
The basin. Instead of letting water flow while hand washing dishes, fill up a soap bucket. Sure you may feel some soapy leftovers, but you are a warrior. We believe in you. Afterwards, just rinse off with some slow flowing water (Key word is slow)
If you can reuse it...reuse it. Keeping a jar in your sink may be a good way to collect some water for a later use. Draining pasta water? Keep it. Adding pasta water to sauces will help bind the sauce to the noodles, then use the cooled leftover water on your plants--I hear plants love the starch! Heck, there are even ways to hook your bathroom sink to your toilet tank.
You're clean enough. Yes, a twenty-minute soak under the shower sounds great, but if a four-minute shower can use up to forty gallons just imagine the damage you could do. So a short shower is the way to go. (Or, as a friend suggests, use the buddy system when you shower)
Upgrade Upgrade Upgrade. There are many ways to be frugal with your water. But probably the best suggestion anyone can offer is to be handy when it comes to the plumbing of your house. Insulating your pipes, replacing your showerheads, buying a new water heater...these are all ways to cut down your water usage and get up to an environmentally friendly code.

Username:		Points:
1.	TWSisk	4160
2.	Colette	2320
3.	keepitclean	2060
4.	jonnydakat	2010
5.	kdhobx	1930
6.	danfromyardl	1400
7.	ladylawn	1220
8.	wnwood3	1075
9.	jessicaburch	1030
10.	clarice	935