Waterless Living

Posted by bluemoon on 26th April
Tagged with: conservation products saving water waterless
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Here at Green Thing we've been saving water all month. According to Defra’s Future Water report, we’ll need to reduce our individual water consumption by around a fifth by 2030, if we’re to cope with pressures due to climate change, population growth and housing demands.

The nice thing about water-saving is that even simple, inexpensive actions can make the world of difference. Sticking a hippo in your loo, or fixing leaks, or just remembering to turn taps off costs hardly anything and can save thousands upon thousands of litres of water. And, necessity being the fabulous mother of invention that she is, there are products out there dedicated to helping you save even more.  For example, rather than hauling buckets of water around the place, waterless cleaning is a lot easier on your arms as well as the environment. Microfibre cloths, for instance, use the power of tiny little fibres a hundred times smaller than the width of a human hair to trap dirt and bacteria, without any nasty chemicals and just the minimum of water.

And if you’re out in the garden, things like Wet ‘n Gro Soil Moistener can help your plants absorb up to 80% more water. In Australia, which has been in the grip of a drought for several years, the Watertube is being used to continuously drip-feed water to newly-planted trees and plants. In just one month it can save hundreds of litres compared to hoses and even watering cans. 

So water-saving doesn’t have to mean going all out and re-plumbing your home to use rainwater, although of course you can if you want to. And perhaps one day we'll all have self-cleaning glass and waterless washing machines. But for now most of us can save gallons just by wasting a lot less and being a bit more efficient about how we use what’s left.