Global Kiter Foundation (GKF)

23.01.2012 Share

Last week, we filled you in on some of the awful facts about dirty water- not only about the risks from swimming in it, but also about the damage it causes the environment.

There are lots of simple steps we can take at home or out and about that will help improve our water. Water is our lifeline- we need to conserve and protect it as best we can, whether it's through our oceans, lakes or local supplies.

Here are Global Kiter Foundation's top tips to help protect and conserve the water around us.

• At home, at work, anywhere: Never pour chemicals down the sink! This means the obvious stuff like paint or weed killer, but it also means household cleaning products and medicines. Most of these products are packed with harmful substances which, if flushed, will find their way into nearby bodies of water. To help you out, you can keep a look out for dedicated nontoxic household products designed specifically not to damage water.
• Recycle and dispose of all your trash properly: Never flush anything that is not natural down the toilet. Diapers, wipes, cotton wool, plasters etc are not biodegradable! These items damage sewage treatment processes and usually end up out in the sea, or littering the coastline.  
• Conserve water: Did you know 73 percent of the water you use at home is either flushed or goes down the shower? Challenge yourself to a 3 minute shower. Its hard to justify spending any longer in there! Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth or shave: a running tap wastes over 6 litres of water per minute.
• Drinking water is important: you don't need to cut down on drinking it, just change your habits! Do not run the tap waiting for it to cool. Instead, leave a bottle in the fridge so you can drink from it as you need. Do not fill the kettle to the top when boiling it, just use what you need. Put the lid on your saucepans: they boil faster and use less energy.
• If you are a business owner: install efficient flush toilets, automatic or sensor taps, and set water usage targets. Not only will you make huge savings, but you will improve your "green" business credentials and help protect our waters.
• Don't wash your car at home: go to a car wash that will catch oil and other chemicals that will come off your car. For the same reasons, it's better to use a broom to clean your driveway rather than hosing it down.
• Educate: Tell your friends, your family and your neighbours what they can do to protect water. Get some more facts from sites like the UK Environment Agency (www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/beinggreen/118946.aspx), the European Union Water Initiative (www.euwi.net) and the US Environmental Protection Agency. (www.epa.gov/waters) Arguments supported by facts go a long way to changing behaviour patterns.
• Leave the spot cleaner than you found it: That's the GKF motto at all of our beach events. By cleaning up after ourselves, our dog, binning trash and not leaving anything behind that could get swept into the water; we are a step closer to cleaner waters. Lead by example and join our simple efforts!

Share the tips!