What can I do...

We are so very fortunate to have CHOICES about what resources we can conserve. So many countries cannot imagine trying to use less of anything when they have nothing to use in the first place. Water is a seemingly abundant resource here in Ontario (except for farmers during droughts) and we think very little about how much we use. Recent statistics show that Canadians use, on average, 329 litres of water per day. The UN has determined that only 50 litres per day is required for humans to exist and remain healthy - that includes drinking and washing but excludes agriculture. For those of you that are math shy that means we are using more than 5 times what we need. So where does it go? Most of it goes down the drain when we flush, brush and wash - in fact more than 80% of the water Canadians use is simply wasted and not even used for drinking or washing. Meanwhile, in some countries, children cannot attend school because they have to walk so far away to get water that it takes them all day. I guess that is why I am taking to heart the handmade sign that used to hang above the toilet at my cottage, "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down". Gross, but it saves a lot of water.