Just say ‘no’ to water, if you don’t need or want it. That’s how simple is it to help conserve a life-giving resource that we often take for granted.
A lot of water is wasted in restaurants while going out to eat because in North America people think that water is “free” and expect it to be served whether they want it or not. Most people only have a few sips if any at all. The average amount of water that gets dumped down the drains at our restaurants is 36 ounces or a little over 1 litre of water per a table of four. If we extrapolate that to the number of eateries in our city (878 restaurants according to TripAdvisor) and multiply the number people eating out per day, there would be thousands of litres of water being wasted. And don’t forget, water is also needed to wash the glasses that hold the liquid in the first place.
Here are three simple, easy and effective ways you can prevent the waste of water.
1) Don’t order water for anyone else – just because you want it doesn’t mean others do.
2) Please ask your server not to give you water unnecessarily.
3) Don’t accept water that you didn’t ask for – even if the server brought it to you or your companion ordered it for you.
The earth is made up of approximately 71% water but only 3 % is drinkable and usable by humans and animals. Canada is third on the list for housing the earth’s most freshwater with Brazil having the most and Russia coming next at number two. As Canadians, we have a huge responsibility to take care of the water that we are so lucky to have!
Here are a few simple ways to save water in our day-to-day lives:
1) Check faucets and toilets for leaks and have them fixed right away.
2) Don’t let the water run the whole time when brushing your teeth or shaving.
3) Take shorter showers and use water saving shower heads. These heads are inexpensive, costing only $15-$30 and reducing the water usage by up to ½ while maintaining the flow of the water.
4) Convert to a low flush or dual flush toilet and avoid using the toilet as a waste basket!
There are many ways to conserve water and some of them are simple and do not require a lot of effort.
Adopt a couple of them and know how much you’re helping the planet!
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