Essential Skill #45: Take a Bath Together

"In a matter of just a few decades, millions of people will experience water shortages as a result of global warming," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. Meanwhile, most of us take the water we do have for granted.

Just a regular 6-minute shower uses 24 gallons of water! And though a bath uses even more, at an average of 30 gallons per tub, it's still the smarter choice if you follow Essential Skill #45 in The Handbook:

Take a bath together.

Instead of using 24 gallons each on a shower, you're using only 15 gallons each in the tub.

Of course, there are many other ways to conserve on water at home:

• If you're running water waiting for it to get hot, catch it in a bucket then use it to water your indoor and outdoor plants
• Turn off the water when you brush your teeth or shave
• Fill the sink with water for washing and rinsing the dishes instead of letting it run full-force the whole time
• Only run the dishwasher and washing machine when you have full loads

Click this link for Treehugger's ideas for water conservation.