This is a HTML version of the original PDF document. The HTML version is being provided for reading purposes only and is not the official version of the document.

July 1999

Doing your part

---

Water conservation tips for kids

Water is not an unlimited resource. People in some parts of the world have to live in desert or neardesert conditions with little water to drink or grow food. Even in Ontario, water levels can run low when we have a long period of dry weather with little rain or snow. So let's not waste our water but use it wisely.

Kids - you have an important role in conserving water and protecting this resource and there are things you can do now to get a good start.

Saving water is often just as easy as turning off a faucet! Here are some simple things you can do at home:

• don't keep the water running while you're brushing your teeth
• don't run the tap for a cold drink of water. Use ice cubes or keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator
• take shorter showers or use less bath water. When showering, try keeping an egg timer in the bathroom to see if you can get your shower down to three minutes ... while still getting clean!

Ask or help your mom or dad to:

• fix the dripping faucet - it can waste as much as 50 litres of water a day
• install a water-saving shower head - it saves water, not to mention the fuel that would have been necessary to heat the extra water (saving fuel also prevents pollution)
• fill a gallon plastic bottle with water and place it in your toilet tank (the part in the back!) - it will take up the same space as the water usually does, but in a year, it will keep more than 10,000 litres of water from going down the drain
• set up a barrel to collect rainwater from your roof that can be used to water the garden and lawn
• water the lawn or garden late in the evening or early in the morning - you lose less to evaporation

Impress your parents

• find water leaks you can't see. Read your meter, don't use water for a short period of time and read it again - any change means a leak. You can be the one who discovers that there's a problem that is wasting water and money

For more information on water conservation, please contact:

Public Information Centre
135 St. Clair Ave. W.
Toronto, Ontario M4V 1P5
Tel: (416) 325-4000
Fax: (416) 325-3159
Toll-free number: 1-800-565-4923
Internet: www.ene.gov.on.ca