Unlike in the Kevin Costner movie-bomb called Waterworld, our water supplies are beginning to dwindle dramatically of late.  This is caused by a number of factors – pollution, overuse, climate change, global warming, et cetera.  Even though our continents are surrounded by vast amounts of water, not all the water is safe enough to drink.

The rivers and streams we pass by on camping or hiking trips may look clean, but you can never be too sure.  Some factory up the river may be dumping toxic waste into the water, you never know.  So it may be advisable to use water filters. You need to treat the water before using is at the campsite.

As we all know, water is quite a valuable natural resource.  Without it, we will have no chance of surviving.  Therefore, we should all do our part in being responsible human beings and conserve water in any way we can.

The first thing to do when wanting to conserve water is to check your faucets and pipes for any leakages, especially if you find that your water usage is unusually high.  If you find any pipe sections that are dripping or are faulty, have them repaired.  Not only will you save on your water bill, you are also not wasting all that good water.

Install a water meter, if you do not already have one.  Once you actually monitor your water usage, you might actually be surprised to know how much you have been using.  Being conscious about how much water you use and trying to cut back on your usage is a good way of conserving water.

Little things like turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, shaving or washing the dishes also help conserve water.  Taking quick showers instead of running a full bath is also recommended, as more water is utilized when taking baths.

You may also install low-flow faucets or shower heads to control your water consumption.  Converting the toilet into low flush by installing the proper system is also advisable. The system have an options for full or half flush for different toilet usage. Most of the time, half flush is sufficient to clear the toilet waste.

To water your garden, you do not need to use fresh water all the time.  You can collect rainwater or use the gray water that comes from the used bath, laundry or washing the dishes to water your plants. There is no cause for worry about using gray water on plants because plants will thrive on used water with some compost. Don’t use gray water with high soap content though.  It is even better if you water the garden at night.  This is because water will evaporate quicker if you water during the day.

If you need to let the faucets run off its cold water before showering or washing the dishes, catch the cold running water with a bucket before it becomes hot.  You can use this water for watering the garden or washing the car.

We need to launder our clothes every once in a while.  However, this is not something we need to to on a daily basis.  It is recommended to use the washing machine on a full load in order to conserve water, as well as electricity.  Also, try to be careful about not using too many clothes so that you will not need to launder too often.  Not only will this be good for the environment, but it will also make your clothes last longer.