In honor of World Water Day, here are ABET’s tips on how to conserve water at home and cut your

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But first, did you know that the average American uses 350 gallons of water a day while 783 million people lack access to clean water?  Water-born diseases are the number one cause of death in children in developing countries.   If you're wondering how to conserve water, there are things you can do from your home to reduce your impact and save yourself a lot of money. Now here, in order from most simple to most drastic, are the how to conserve water tips that you aren't using:

  1. Don’t run your washing machine or dishwasher until they’re totally full!

  1. Install aerators on faucets and low flow shower heads, which can cut water use at those sources in half.

  1. Insulate your hot water pipes to reduce time spent waiting for hot water.

  1. Make sure you fix any leaks in your toilet, including a leaky tank seal, right away as that can results in hundreds of wasted gallons in just a couple days.

  1. Replacing old toilets new with low-flow models can cut this usage (and your cost!) by up to 2/3rds.  However, if you can’t replace your toilet anytime soon, you can still reduce the amount of HO your toilet uses with this handy trick - put a brick in your tank! No kidding, by putting a brick in your toilet tank, you will reduce the amount of water needed to fill the tank, but it won’t affect flush power.  Do this only for old toilets.

  1. Washing your car this summer? Use nature! Wait till it rains, don your bathing suits, and soap up the car.  Have your kids help and turn it into a fun, sudsy, play-in-the-rain day.

  1. Set up a rain barrel at the end of your downspout to collect roof runoff.  You can put this on your plants or lawn.

  1. Stop buying bottled water! It takes 3 liters of water to make every 1-liter bottle of water, before the HO is even put it in! It’s not actually from that exotic mountain stream anyway, it’s just regular old American groundwater resold to you at 2000% inflation!  Water from your local municipality is regulated heavier than bottled water and is actually healthier for you because of the fluoride and minerals it contains.

  1. Eat less meat. That may surprise you, but red meat is the most water intensive food you can eat. It takes 1,857 gallons of HO to produce 1 lb of red meat. By avoiding it, you’ll not only be healthier but you’ll also take a chunk out of your water demands.

  1. If you HAVE to water a lawn, then do so very early in the morning or the evening to minimize evaporation.  If you really want to be conscious, don’t have a lawn at all! Replace it with a vegetable garden or landscape it with drought-resistant plants.