Water saving week: Ways to save water in school
Water saving week: Ways to save water in school
Water saving week occurs on the 22nd of May-26th of May and is a perfect chance for SBMs to start considering and planning ways to save water in school. Water consumption is at an all-time high, especially for schools, and not long-ago UK’s reservoirs were very low.
To save water as well as money, there are many changes you can implement to help save the planet and reduce water consumption. However, this can be quite hard to do, so we have sourced ways to save water in school for you to use as a guideline and get your school on track.
Create a water action plan
The best way you can save water for your school is by creating a water action plan. This should be the first step to take when deciding to save water. Think about how you can save water in the school and set achievable goals for different time frames.
A great way to carry your action plan out is to gather a group of staff and students who can be monitors and drivers of water consumption in the school. Work with this group to do a water audit to find all the areas of water consumption and what can be reduced.
Once this is decided you can set guidelines to best conserve water for each area. You can list what you can switch out to low-flow products and the potential savings you will make money-wise and water-wise.
Use water carefully
Make a clear message to the whole school about conserving water and how to achieve this. Ensure everyone is aware of using water carefully and setting an example to staff and students by taking these steps yourself.
Steps that you and everyone can take are:
- Turning taps off promptly after washing hands
- Use half flush on toilets if you can
- Use a bucket when washing products like art supplies and dishes
- Ensuring all taps are turned off after use in areas like staff rooms, office and kitchens
You can even stock up on tap water containers for classrooms to use to ensure they don’t run taps all the time. They can hold 9 litres of water and is easily dispensed whether to wash supplies, hands or fill cups up.
To get students on board, create posters or advise your staff to get children to create posters reminding them of how to save water.
Track and measure your schools water usage
From the beginning throughout the process track your schools water usage. Find out how much water you are using in the school to give you an idea of how much you need to cut it down by. This is important to set your achievable goals. Then when you start doing the small things to reduce water consumption, carry on tracking to see where you can make improvements. By the end you will be able to see how well you have done with reducing water usage and how to continue this. Plus, you will discover what needs to be improved further.
Get water leaks repaired
You and the water conserving group in your school should check all that all water appliances are off and be vigilant for leaks. If any leak is spotted it should be reported and you should be aware of it to get it repaired as soon as possible. A single leaking toilet can waste more than 50 gallons of water. A dripping tap or shower wastes around 1000 gallons of water a day so it’s vital to get leaks repaired quickly.
Consider low flow products/eco taps
Changing to low flow products and eco taps can reduce your water consumption by over 50%. They have no negative effect on the quality either. If your current taps need to stay, then low-cost aerators can be considered that have the same effect. Other benefits of going low flow are that using less water can cut the amount of energy needed to heat the water and cut carbon emissions.
A key area to focus on switching out is toilets. Low flow toilets use up to 84% less water and 80% less energy than standard models. There's also dual flush where you can opt to use a shorter flush to help save water instead.
Purchase plugs and washing bowls
A simple yet effective saving can be achieved by purchasing plugs and washing up bowls for every sink in kitchens and classrooms. There’s always a temptation to let taps run so having bowls and plugs is a reminder for everyone to conserve water. When art supplies are used, encourage staff and students to wash them in containers instead of placing them under running water.
Reuse water if possible
Find ways to reuse water when possible, such as putting a bucket under any roof leaks or taps for drips and reuse the water, to water school gardens. Or use clean washing up water to wash any supplies as well or to clean kitchens and classrooms. This could be a small, easy change that takes your school in the right direction.
Reduce water use in food preparation
There are many ways to save water in school and reducing water consumption in the kitchen is a great place to focus on. Replace any other water funnels with low-flow options such as any sprayers you may have. Encourage your staff to brush floors more often than mopping to reduce the times water is used.
Remind staff to turn down the temperature if water when washing such as using dishwashers and guide them to use dishwashers the most. Dishwashers us 6 gallons for each load while washing up traditionally uses 3 gallons a minute. Consider purchasing water efficient dishwashers and washing machines to help save water.
Get your school involved
Advertise your water saving mission to everyone within the school and encourage them to get involved, from staff to students and even parents. There are many ways in which you can encourage your school to get involved through simple changes. Offer some incentives to both students and staff so that they do their best to help. This could be as simple as a treat day where you bring in sweet treats for the staff and students to enjoy.
Some simple changes you could encourage your school to do are:
- Collect rainwater- Install a rainwater tank and let staff and students use this water for watering school gardens and plants.
- Wash in bowls- Staff and students should steer towards washing anything in bowls rather than rinsing under taps for a few minutes.
- Use the correct flush for toilets- If you have or opt for dual flush toilets, guide staff to teach students about which button to press for certain circumstances. This will reduce the number of times toilets need filling back up.
Use these ways to save water in school to reduce your water consumption, contributing towards saving the planet. Be loud about your water saving campaign to get everyone on board and measure/track the progress from the beginning all the way through. Ensure to carry on these water saving efforts past water saving week too.
Discover how you can save the environment further with our involve your school in earth day blog.
