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Water

Although the earth is covered in about 70% water, only a small fraction of that is drinkable. We have to do our best to use it wisely and prevent further pollution, like chemicals we put on our lawns and pour down our drains, from further depleting our supply. Protecting our water also protects air quality and other resrouces. According to the EPA, letting your faucet run for five minutes uses about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours!

On Campus
At Home

On Campus

Quick Tips

• Bring your own water bottle to fill up at drinking fountains and avoid buying bottled water.
• Washing your hands is always a good idea, but turn off the water while soaping up and then turn it on again to rinse.
• Don't litter campus with cigarette butts or forget to scoop your puppy's poop. Stormwater and melting snow will carry these pollutants to the river.
• Don't use the toilet as a trash bin, causing excess flushing and clogging.
• Report leaks to Facilities Operations. (864-4770)

At Home

Quick Tips

• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
• Use the same glass throughout the day to reduce dishwashing.
• Wash only full loads of dishes and laundry.
• Sing shorter songs in the shower. (Shorter showers save water and energy!)
• Search for biodegradable and non-phosphorus soaps and detergents.
• Use a rain barrel to collect water for the yard or other plants.
• Reduce or eliminate fertilizers and pesticides in your yard
• Clean up after your pets.
• If it's yellow, let it mellow.

More Resources

See The Environmental Protection Agency's "Things You Can Do" for ways to start educating yourself about what you can do to lessen your impact increase your sustainability.

More Water Conservation Tips from the City of Lawrence.

Day-to-day activities can negatively impact our water supply and water quality. Here are 100 Water-Saving Tips for our region.

Use native plants to beautify your yard, which require significantly less water.

Learn more about stormwater pollution and water quality from the City of Lawrence Stormwater Engineering Department and Lawrence Waste Reduction & Recycling

One of the best ways is to reduce harmful chemicals that end up in our air and water resources, is to avoid letting them into the system in the first place. This includes most anything that says "hazardous if swallowed" or "keep away from small children." Toilet bowl cleaners to paint and batteries should not be thrown away. Instead check out this site to find out how to dispose of hazardous waste through the City of Lawrence.

Pass this quiz from the EPA around the office to see who knows the most about water conservation.

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