Did you know that kids can make a very significant difference in water conservation? As water is crucial to our health, lifestyle and economic well-being, teaching our children about the importance of good water management could work as one of the best ways to ensure its long-term conservation. Although undoubtedly a challenging task, let’s work on putting the time and effort into teaching our kids to practice the following:
.Whenever you wash your hands, don’t leave the water running. Wet your hands and turn the water off, then use soap and lather your hands well, turning the water back on only to rinse. Do the
same when you brush your teeth. Turn the tap on to get your toothbrush and toothpaste wet, and then again to rinse your mouth and toothbrush. Don’t leave the water running while you’re brushing.
.Inform parents or any other adult when taps are dripping. If you are able to turn off the tap yourself, make sure that you turn it off tightly. The same goes when you notice a toilet flush that isn’t positioned properly, thus causing water to continuously run in the toilet. Whether you notice these things at home or in school, make sure that you inform an adult right away, and learn to adopt the habit of doing the same as you grow older.
.Since baths use a lot of water, take short showers instead.
.Use a wastebasket for used tissues, candy wrappers and paper towels. Don’t flush them – the average flush uses as much as 5 gallons of water!
.When meals are prepared and vegetables or other fresh produce are washed, ask your parents to collect that water and use it to water plants in your house.
.During summer, it’s fun to play under the lawn sprinkler, but this should only be done while the sprinkler is being used to water the garden. Likewise, water games that require the use of a running hose might be fun, but they also waste gallons and gallons of water.
.If there is a pool or a hot tub at your house, encourage those who use it to cover it afterwards. This prevents evaporation and having to keep refilling.
Parents, let’s help save this planet’s most valuable resource by reminding our kids that by doing even just one thing each day to contribute to their home or school’s water conservation, they’re doing the right thing!