Over 70% of the earth is water, yet many parts of the world suffer from a clean water shortage. Many believe that our water supply is infinite, however quite the opposite is true. This is why it is very important to conserve water, which means using our water supply wisely and being responsible.

We use water constantly in our everyday lives. It’s crucial for almost everything we do. We need water for drinking, bathing, cooking, washing… and the list goes on. This means if we want our bodies healthy and clean, we must conserve water.

So here are some tips for you to help save water:

One very easy way is to simply turn off the tap when you brush your teeth, wash your face, wash dishes, or other cleaning tasks. This can save an astonishing 6 liters of water per minute.

Another way is to take a shorter shower. This will not only save a huge amount of water but also saves you time before heading out to work. Alternatively, you can turn off the water, or turn it to low pressure, while soaping up or shaving. Try to remember these two tips next time you are showering after a sweaty class at Velocity. Making it quick may even make your fellow riders happy.

Furthermore, using full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher cuts out unnecessary washes in between and saves water.
You can also help us at Velocity by giving your unused towels back to the front desk, so that we don’t unnecessarily wash clean towels again. In this case Velocity will need to wash less towels and can save water.

Catch rainwater that you can use for watering your plants. And always water outdoor plants in the early morning or at the end of the day. Otherwise the water will evaporate immediately in the heat.

You can also buy your clothes second-hand, and try to avoid fast-fashion shopping (like H&M and Zara). To produce an average shirt it takes 2700 liters of water or even 7600 liters for jeans.

Keep in mind our personal hygiene and the water we drink only have a minor impact on our general consumption. Food production is what really weighs heavily on our water supplies. So it’s important that we also focus on what’s on our plates.

The largest part of the water consumption for animal products is the water used for animal feed. Add to this the drinking water for the animals and the water that is used for cleaning the stables. Altogether, it takes over 9000 liters of water to produce just about 500 grams of meat (and CO2 emission is another story altogether!). To compare it with wheat, it only takes about 95 liters to grow 500 grams of wheat. So by cutting down on meat and even dairy, you will help to conserve water (and also help to protect the climate).

Trust us, we know cutting out meat and dairy can be difficult, but even a little bit counts. And look no further than our partner Roots & Friends to help you get started; all their food is vegan and they have many non-dairy milk options for your coffee.

And last but not least is the topic food waste. Did you know that you could save water by not wasting your food and by shopping smarter? It takes a lot of water and other resources to grow and prepare the food that makes it to our stores, and then to your home. By wasting food, we are wasting all the resources used to produce that food. So some tricks to avoid food waste is to plan your meals for the week so you buy only what you need. You can also freeze food, which you didn’t eat. A perfect example would be to freeze fruits before they go bad so you can use the frozen berries, bananas or other fruits for smoothies. You should also save your leftovers. You can take your leftovers from dinner the night before to work for lunch the next day. An added benefit? This helps to prevent boredom with the lunch options near your office.

References:

https://www.h2ouse.net/why-save-water/

https://www.peta.de/wasser

https://friendsoftheearth.uk/natural-resources/13-best-ways-save-water-heatwave-or-no-heatwave