Our planet is made up of mostly water – unfortunately most of it we can’t drink because the oceans make up two thirds of the earth’s water.
There are a lot of people on Earth who need clean fresh water to live. As numbers of people increase water is becoming very scarce in some places including Australia.
Because water is so easy to use we sometimes don’t notice how much we’re wasting. It’s easy to forget just how precious it is. Here are a few simple things you and your family can do to help save water.
In the garden
- If you help your parents out with the gardening, make sure you only water plants in the early morning or evening so the sun doesn’t evaporate it all before the plants can drink it
- Use water from the rainwater tank instead of the hose to water plants and clean cars and bikes
- Playing under the sprinkler or hose in summer can use heaps of water – if you want to play in water head for the beach or the local swimming pool
In the house
- Keep a bottle of drinking water in your refrigerator instead of running your tap until the water gets cool each time you want some water
- If you’re helping your parents with the dishes after dinner, don’t keep the tap running continuously to rinse
- Always turn taps off tightly so they don’t drip
- When you’re brushing your teeth, don’t keep the tap running
- Try to take shorter showers
- Never flush any rubbish down the toilet as it can cause problems for animals, humans and the environment – throw it in the bin instead
- Use half flush on the toilet