2. Wash dishes by hand only once a day. Use a shallow sink, not running water.

3. In the shower, just get yourself wet before turning off the tap. Cover yourself with soap and shampoo. Finally, turn the water back on for a quick rinse (this will probably save you lots of time, too).

4. Don't wait for hot water, just use it cold.

5. If you must use hot water, heat it up on the stove or in a kettle.

6. If you really have to have hot water from the tap, save the cold that comes first for drinking, cooking, or watering plants later.

7. Put a 2 L bottle full of water, or some other volume reducing device, in your toilet tank.

8. Don't flush every time you go (but please flush more than once a day).

9. Use liquid hand soap, and suds up your hands before turning on the tap.

10. Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth or shave.

11. Use a bucket or cistern to collect water for plants (they don't need treated water).

12. Use the old water from your fish tank to water plants, or dump it in the toilet bowl for a free flush.

13. Redesign your house so cistern water goes to your toilet, shower, bathroom sink, and a second tap in the kitchen sink for washing. You don't need chlorine for any of that.

14. If you want to be really fancy, redesign your house so that grey water from your shower and sinks is used to flush the toilet.

"Why should a worry about the water I use? I live in Vancouver after all," you say. True, there is little danger of a water shortage in this part of the country, and some of these ideas are a little extreme; but there's another side to the story. Every drop of water you use in your sink, shower, bath, or toilet goes into the sewer system. Every drop you don't waste is another drop GVRD doesn't have to worry about cleaning up for you, and another drop you don't have to pay for in taxes. Furthermore, if you try some of the simple ideas (i.e. those that do not require remodelling your house) you will be surprised how much time you can save, too.

Note: some of these ideas are not my own, but were taken from the Sierra Club of BC web site (www.sierraclub.ca/bc) where you can find many other similar suggestions.