Conserving Water in Your Home

The most essential resource in the entire world is water. Without water, life cannot survive on earth. The main problem is that earth's global population is expected to reach 8.1 billion by 2030. It has been estimated that in order to keep pace with the growing demand for food, 14 percent more freshwater will need to be withdrawn for agricultural purposes in the next 30 years.

At this pace, future wars will no longer be fought over oil. Future wars will be fought over due to shortages in water! In order to sustain life as we know it, we must begin to conserve water. In third world countries, the poor often have to survive on contaminated water. Developed nations are one of the biggest wasters of water. Instead of conserving water, we actually utilize our valuable drinking water to wash our cars, and water our gardens!

Water conservation is the most cost-effective and environmentally-sound way to reduce our world-wide demand for water. Not only does water conservation alleviate a potential crisis, but saving water also saves money! To follow are a few tips on how to conserve water.

1. Don't over-water your lawn! If your lawn springs back when you lift your foot, you don't need to water it. If you're going to leave the sprinklers on, invest in environmentally-friendly water-efficient sprinklers.

2. Re-use a bucket of rain water to wash your car and to water your lawn! Invest in a rain barrel to collect rain water. Rain barrels can hold up to 80 gallons of rain water.

3. Fix leaky faucets, shower heads, and toilets. Don't let the faucet run while you're brushing your teeth.

4. Run only full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher.

5. Take short showers, and avoid taking too many baths.

These are just a few things we can do to alleviate the world-wide demand for drinking water. If we all work together to conserve water, we can not only save money, but also make a difference to make the world a better place to live in.

If you are planning on doing any long-distance cycling or bicycle touring then you need to pay attention to one very critical factor; Water! Life Requires Water and cyclists who are putting out 4000 or more calories per ride need more water than normal. Let's say you are on a 50 to 100-mile ride?

It is recommended for this type of riding that you have a minimum of 2 water bottles (quart size) if your leg is less than 60-miles and that is pushing it. If you have chosen a route or have legs longer than that you need a third water bottle or a back pack water system. Some long-distance solo-endurance riders have three-water bottles mounted to the frame and also carry a back-pack water system.

The back-pack water systems come in such sizes as 60, 72 and 100 liters. If you get a 100-liter unit, make sure it comes with an extra-strap for your waist (most do), you'll need the extra support to keep it in place while you ride. These pieces of equipment are a must and although toting around adds a significant amount of weight, you cannot ride without it. Thus, it makes sense to have extra water bottle capacity, even if you will not need it between certain check points along the way.

You cannot skimp on water and still safely ride, especially if it's hot out. And you must remember that water weighs a lot and will slow you down, so you if you have opportunities along the way to get water then please consider this option as well.