As we move into high summer, the people of the UK embrace the one time of the year their country actually feels… well… hot. However, this stunning weather (particularly as the hottest day since records began is being predicted this week) doesn’t just mean you should be thinking about lazing about in a park or heading out to the coast. As the mercury rises it’s important to keep in mind the wider impacts of sunny weather. Most people are aware of the dangers extreme heat poses to pets, the elderly and young children, but rarely do people think about the necessity to save water.
It might seem strange considering we’re famous for wet weather, but the UK has experienced several droughts in the past few decades. The Environment Agency this year actually predicted that by the year 2045 England’s demand for water will exceed its supply.
Saving water should be a concern all year round, however in the hot weather people need to ramp up their efforts to conserve where they can. This doesn’t mean we have to spend all day dehydrated or torturing our co-workers’ noses by not showering, but there are a few simple changes you can make in your everyday life to save water.
1. Don’t over-fill your kettle with water
This might seem like a pointless change, but in Britain we drink around 165 million cups of tea every day. Most people pour an excessive amount of water into the kettle, let it boil, use what they want, and then usually tip the remainder out a few hours later claiming that it’s old or stale. If this is happening 165 million times every day, that’s a lot of water being wasted.
Many kettles have a marker on the side telling you exactly how many cups-worth of water is in the device, meaning you can fill it to the exact amount you need and avoid wasting water. This will also save on electricity as less energy is required to heat the water you don’t use.
2. Eat less meat
Animals use far more water than crops to produce, meaning that going vegetarian or at least reducing your meat consumption can indirectly save vast amounts of water. Beef is the worst type of meat in terms of water consumption, with a six-ounce serving of steak requiring 674 gallons of water to get to your plate. A salad, conversely, only requires 21 gallons.
Excessive meat consumption has also led to other environmental problems such as deforestation in certain parts of the world, so perhaps you can use the gorgeous weather this summer as your inspiration to cut down how much meat you eat.
3. Take shorter showers
No one is immune to falling into a daydream or spending a few minutes in the shower singing rather than washing, however cutting down the amount of time you spend in the shower is a really simple way to save water.
This is much easier to do if you set an alarm on your phone. Tomorrow morning try for a five-minute shower. Not enough time? Bump it up to six minutes. Too much time? Why not go for three minutes and 30 seconds? Everything gets easier when you turn it into a game against yourself, plus you’ll find that by shaving minutes off your shower you have more time to get ready in the morning (or more time in bed before you have to get up).
4. Wash your car less
There’s nothing wrong with wanting your car to look good when you take it out on a summer’s day drive. However, the average hand car wash uses up to 150 liters of water per wash. Not only is this a huge amount of water, but hand car washes usually result in several different types of chemicals running off into drains, polluting your local environment.
Thankfully you can opt for an easy and affordable water-free car wash from Dropless. Our washers require no water to make your car sparkling clean as they use an eco-friendly nano solution that gently breaks down dirt and grime. Plus it’s an on-demand service so you’ll be saving the petrol needed to drive to a car wash.
Saving water is one of the quickest and most effective way your can personally help the environment. Do you do anything to save water that wasn’t mentioned on this list? Head over to our Twitter page and let us know – we’re always looking out for new ways to use less water!