Live Simply May
Save Water, Save the Earth, Save Money
Help the Poor
Fix the Food System - Join the new CAFOD Campaign:-
The global food system is broken. It doesn’t work for those who work the hardest – small farmers – and it’s a major driver of the climate emergency. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Communities who work with CAFOD are leading the way, growing food in ways that are good for people and the planet. CAFOD are urging the UK government to fix the food system. See the information leaflet in church.
More information –
Take action - https://action.cafod.org.uk/page/102736/action/1
Help the Environment
Calculate how much water you use and get some water saving tips to save water and save money https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/water-saving/water-saving-calculator
Have a water meter installed to encourage you to save water and save money.
Save Water, Save the Earth, Save Money
Why save water when it’s plentiful and falls out of the sky for free?
Climate change and the Environment
Reduce your carbon footprint: We take water for granted in this country and use it freely; however water treatment and transport uses masses of energy and accounts for nearly 1% of the UK’s total carbon emissions, so reducing our water use will reduce our carbon footprint.
Water is becoming scarce: With population growth and changing weather patterns, including hotter summers and drier winters, water is becoming increasingly vulnerable to scarcity, even in the UK.
Protect Wildlife: Using water efficiently means that we can minimise the amount of additional water taken out of our rivers and aquifers which protects our water resources and the wildlife that lives in them.
Save Money: Around 18% of energy consumption in UK homes is spent heating water, and about 12% of a typical gas heated home’s heating bill is from the water for showers, baths and the hot water tap. Saving water saves money especially if you are on a water meter, but even if you don’t have a water meter you will save money on your energy bill.
How to Save Water
In the Bathroom
Baths and showers use around 34% of the water in the home, a short shower with an efficient showerhead uses less water than a bath. However a long shower can use the same amount or more! The average time spent in the shower is 8mins; the recommended time is less than 4 mins. Showers use about 10 litres of water and cost about 5p per minute; so each person can save £76 a year by spending 4min in the shower instead of 8mins!!!!
Toilets use 30% of the water in the home, so consider flushing the toilet less often, remember the old saying – when it’s brown flush it down, when it’s yellow let it mellow!
Dual flush toilets use 4-6 litres whilst the older style systems use a massive 13 litres a flush. Cistern Displacement devices are free from most water authorities and can save 5000 litres of water a year.
Turn the tap off when brushing teeth and shaving - a running tap wastes 6 litres of water a minute.
In the Kitchen
22% of a household’s water is used in the kitchen and so great savings can be made here.
Washing dishes - dishwashers can use less water than hand washing but remember to use the eco-setting and full loads.
By hand - Using a washing up bowl or a plug in the sink can reduce wastage by 50%
Laundry - wash clothes less often in full loads and use the eco-setting.
Drinking Water - put a large bottle of tap water in the fridge for a cool drink instead of running the tap until the water is cold.
Fill the kettle- only fill the kettle with what’s needed to save water and money.
In the Garden
Watering either early in the morning or in the evening with a watering can uses least water.
Using water butts is a brilliant way of catching a large amount of rainwater and it’s free water. You can also use bath and shower water for grass and borders but use it immediately and not on vegetables or fruit. Cover the soil in the borders, on vegetables and in containers with a mulch or bark to reduce evaporation by up to 75%. Note that hoses and sprinklers use a massive 1000 litres an hour!
Other Water Savings
Reduce food waste and consumption of meat and dairy -
Food production especially meat and dairy uses a massive amount of water.
Fashion - There is a great deal of water used in the production of clothes. Growing the cotton and dyeing the materials for one pair of jeans and one t-shirt can use up to 20,000 litres of water. It would take you over 13 years to drink this amount! Buying less new clothes or buying second hand is a great way of saving water.
More information https://www.waterwise.org.uk/save-water/
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