12 rules for respecting water

The Consiag of Florence gives some simple rules
to prevent wasting drinking water

These are the twelve fundamental rules that the Consiag (Inter-municipalconsortium for water, gas and public services based in Prato) teaches to primaryand junior high school children in its educational courses on saving and respectingdrinking water. These are really twelve suggestions that everyone can easily putinto practise, thus acting in their own interests. Following these guidelines meanslearning to treat water as a precious element, not only something that mustn't bewasted but also not polluted so that purifying is simple and less costly.

1) Get any domestic leaks mended quickly. A dripping tap that produces 90 drips a minute wastes 4,000 litres of water a year; a millimetre sized hole in a pipe causes the loss of 2,328 litres of drinking water a day.

2) Use chemical products for domestic cleaning in moderation. Water and vinegar or bicarbonate are sufficient for disinfecting or polishing.

3) Don't flush toxic substances down the toilet (paints, lacquers, chemical products, cigarettes, solvents) as this makes the sewage system less efficient.

4) Never wash cars or any other vehicles in rivers or near streams or torrents. Limit car-washing in general. Wash with a bucket of water rather than running water - this saves 130 litres each time.

5) Water gardens and allotments with rain water, flowers and plants in vases with water used for washing vegetables and fruit - this saves 6,000 litres of drinking water a year.

6) Use washing machines or dishwashers only with a full load - this saves around 8,000 to 11,000 litres of drinking water per family each year.

7) Wash crockery immediately after each meal, scrape off large residues of food, mix pasta sauces in the cooking pot thus avoiding dirtying another bowl: this all saves on water, energy and detergents.

8) Use the pasta cooking water to wash pots and pans - it's very good for removing grease and saves on water and detergents.

9) Take showers instead of baths - this saves 1,200 litres of drinking water a year. The average shower uses 20 to 50 litres, 5 times less than a bath.

10) Turn the tap off when cleaning teeth and put the plug in when shaving; a family of three can save up to 7,500 litres of water a year.

11) Use an aerator on taps to mix air into the water; a family of three can save up to 6,000 litres a year like this.

12) Install a tap or handle for flushing the toilet - this saves around 26,000 litres a year.

(These rules have been published by Consiag)

See also:

"A prayer to all Sacred Waters" by Hyemeyohsts (Wolf) Storm Medicine Man and writer The Ancient Water Temples of Sardinia "Rain" a poem by the Mozambican poet Albino Magaia Marsh grounds The fountains of Roquebrune SOS for the groundwater tables

The Earth's fresh waters. This is where they are situated The River Amazon, the planet's great artery The ailing river Arno The springs of the river Arno, a sacred place for the Etruscan Small gallery of the microalgae that inhabit the Arno river from the novel "SIETE FUENTES"

---

Back HOME

E-mail: - blueplanet@catpress.com
Via Faentina, 127 - 50133 Florence, Italy
phone (+39) 55 575488/fax (+39) 55 587321
© Blue Planet - All rights reserved