A photo taken in Australia by Alex one of our partner
All of us in the UK have at some point or another experienced a hose pipe ban, which always brings consternation among home-owners who have been rained upon for months of the year – but England actually has less water (per person – which is critical) than Sudan or Syria*. About a third of all the water used by each person in the UK each day is wasted. When you consider that the energy used to pump, treat and heat the water used in an average family home produces the same amount of carbon as a return flight from London to New York – a staggering amount*.
Simple measures, such as installing a rainwater butt (or several) to water your garden, taking showers not baths and only using the dishwasher with a full load can save lots of water. However it is important to change our mind set about water: places in the world where water has always been a precious commodity are much less wasteful of the fresh clean drinking water we in the UK habitually take for granted and use for all purposes.
A more integrated approach to reduce water usage should be thought through – and will help your pocket as more homes become equipped with water meters. Grey and rain water harvesting for use with dual flush toilets and garden watering systems can reduce use & waste. We habitually flush rainwater from roofs and paths straight into the sewage system; now permeable paving and similar is allowed by Building Regulations so at the least it can seep to garden trees and shrubs.
Bright Green Homes can help with ideas to save water that will suit your lifestyle.