The United States has experienced many fluctuations in weather throughout the years. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, states like Montana, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas are experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions. A drought is a period of abnormally low rainfall, which causes reduced soil moisture, diminished river flow, damage to groups, and a general shortage of water.
Although this might be reported as a problem for those several states, the repercussions of droughts are a worldwide challenge. With unpredictable climate change, a drought can occur in any city and any country, and it’s up to us to act now and not wait until a drought emergency is declared.
Of all the water in the world, there’s only about 1% of it available for human use, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. And, the average American family uses about 300 gallons of that water every single day. Imagine what an entire company of people uses in just one business day!
There are several water conservation tips for home and work to ensure we are all doing our part for humankind. Continue reading to learn more about water conservation and the action steps you can take to better protect the limited water resources around the world.
1. Check Your Water Usage
Maybe your company is already efficient with saving water (kudos to you!), but the only way to find out is to check your business’s water use. The U.S. Department of Energy found that, on average, a typical employee uses approximately 15 gallons of water every day. Depending on the size of your workplace, you’re looking at a pretty hefty amount of H2O going down the drain daily.
To get the exact amount of water that your employees are using, contact your building’s water provider to do an assessment. They can even provide some water efficiency tips for how you can save based on your city, business size, and resources. Using this resource is a great way to monitor and track your water usage throughout the year to ensure your company is being responsible.
2. Track Your Faucet Water
A great way to control the running water that comes from your office’s sink is to install a faucet aerator. This tool is an affordable way to reduce water consumption as it slows and regulates the stream that comes out from the faucet (it can help your company save money, too).
3. If It’s Broken — Fix It
You might not think that a leak in a toilet or a dripping faucet loses that much water, but it does add up. According to Thames Water, a toilet leak or dripping tap can use as much as 400 liters of water waste each day. So, search for your toolbox or pick up the phone and fix those water leaks or broken faucets.
4. Regulate Your Green Grass
With the nicer weather, a lot more businesses are taking care of their landscape and although we want the grass to always look greener, we need to keep in mind what that work will take. Place a monthly water budget on your landscape work based on the water needs of your plant life.
5. Shut It Down
If water isn’t needed in certain areas of your building – shut it off. Shutting off the water supply to unused areas of your facility will eliminate unmonitored use. You won’t even notice that the water isn’t on, and it will make a huge difference when it comes to your overall water consumption.
6. Educate Your Employees
We’ve said it before, knowledge is power! Put together a small pamphlet or a company-wide email telling your employees how they can save water at work. Include tips like shutting faucets off in between washing dishes, waiting for a full load before running the dishwasher, and scrubbing your hands at the sink with the hot water off. Employers could even start a competition to see how much team members could lower the total water usage to earn some form of a prize like a free lunch or the ability to leave an hour early on a Friday.
The current drought problem around the country can affect us all, so why not change our habits now in hopes to prevent issues that might come in the future? Small water efficiency adjustments make a big difference.
7. Become More Eco-Friendly With Quench
Saving on water usage is the goal, so implement a water solution that can help your company make that a reality. Quench bottleless water dispensers can be a big, conscious step toward becoming an eco-friendly company. With a Quench water cooler, conserve millions of gallons of water by hooking up the system to your company’s existing water supply.
On top of that, you can keep 70 million pounds of plastic waste out of landfills due to eliminating single-use plastic water bottles. The process of manufacturing plastic bottles and bottling water also wastes 3 liters of water to produce just one liter of bottled water, so using Quench filtered water coolers allows you to have water on demand with no water waste.
At Quench, we care about the environment. That’s why we provide easy and convenient services to allow businesses to join us in our mission to conserve water and lower plastic waste. If you’re interested in a Quench bottleless drinking water dispenser, contact us today to get a free demo and start saving water!
