Water Green Tips

"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink." - from Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Drink tap water instead of bottled water, whenever possible.  

According to a New York Times article, Americans will throw out over 30 billion single serving bottles of water this year! If you are concerned about your tap water, use a filter on the faucet—a much more eco-friendly way of ensuring pure water.

Never leave the water running when using a sink. 

Turn off the water faucet when brushing your teeth, washing your face, or shaving. The average faucet uses between 2 and 3 gallons per minute! Leaving the water running for just 2 minutes every day would waste up to 2,190 gallons of water each year.

In the shower.

A standard shower head uses 5-7 gallons per minute (gpm), so even a 5-minute shower can consume 35 gallons! But by keeping shower time under 5 minutes you can save up to 1,000 gallons per month.

Better yet, install a low-flow shower head, which uses 1.5-2.5 gpm (that's 7.5-12.5 gallons for a 5-minute shower), cutting your water use by 50-80%! In a household of 4 you'll save as much as $250 per year on water bills. ACU reduces our water usage with low-flow shower heads & toilets in our public restrooms, dorms and locker rooms.

Adapted with permission from the Harvard Green Campus Initiative