4. Monitor Your Home Water Usage
The developed world has water on demand. Just turn a knob and presto: running water. But this might not be the case for much longer. In the United States, some neighboring states are beginning to sue one another over access to shared water resources. Australia is in its fifth consecutive year of drought and faces widespread water restrictions. In Africa, Lake Chad, which supports 22 million people, has shrunk to 5 percent of the size it was in 1963 [source: Harvard University]. With resources drying up around the globe, it looks like water won't be quite as cheap as we progress into the 21st century.
Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images
A young Nicaraguan searches for water in Los Chiles, one of many areas around the world hit by heavy drought, in May 2008.
You can do your part by making your house a water-conscious one. For starters, check to see that your faucets and toilets don't leak. Some minor tinkering and a few dollars spent at your locally owned hardware store can mean the difference in several lost gallons of water per day. (On HowStuffWorks.com, you can learn how to fix a leaky faucet here and a running toilet here.)
Simply paying attention to how you use water can help you conserve it. For example, you can save water by shaving in the sink rather than the shower. And when you turn on your shower, place a 5-gallon bucket beneath the stream while you wait for the water to heat up, rather than simply allowing it to run down the drain. You can use this gray water for your garden.
Essentially, gray water is water that's been captured and reused. There are some health considerations to reusing water; for example, water collected from your shower can contain fecal matter. Straining used bath water a few times can extract most harmful particles. There are plenty of additional sources of already used water around your home. The next time your dog's or cat's water bowl needs refilling, don't just dump the old water down the drain. Keep a watering pot handy to dump the old water in and use that to water your garden. Even dirty water from freshwater fish bowls or tanks can be repurposed: Fish waste makes great, free plant food.
Collecting rain is another way to conserve water. Rain barrels can be purchased already built or as kits you can put together yourself. These large barrels are positioned beneath drain spouts to collect rainwater as it rolls off your roof. A spigot is usually attached to the barrel to accommodate a hose. Not only will your plants receive the benefit of captured rainwater, you won't spend money on watering your garden (or break the law, if you're under an outdoor watering ban).
While you think, "Grow, plants, grow!" during your watering, also consider this: Creating a vegetable garden can also help greenify your home. Next, find out how food choices in your pantry and garden can make your home more sustainable.
