Reusing and recycling our plastic bottles and aluminum cans is very important. However, I think it is important to consider how we reuse (arguably) our most valuable resource: water. In the state of California, we are facing an extremely severe drought, and yet people consistently waste water. I don't just mean taking half hour showers, I mean the little things we do without thinking. Much of the water we use can be reused! In many countries, it is the norm to use water from washing clothes to water plants and flush toilets. Leaky faucets and showers should always have a bucket underneath to collect this CLEAN AND DRINKABLE water -- even if you don't feel comfortable drinking it, there is no point in wasting it! I believe that we have grown very accustomed to using potable water for ever household task, when in fact we can reuse water in a perfectly safe and sanitary way, and help to ease the strain on our reservoirs. As long as you are using eco-friendly soap and detergent, consider using so-called "gray water" for anything you don't drink.

You've made some very good points and have very good ideas about the conservation of water, and I completely agree with you. In class today we discussed the differences between where we live and other places in the world on the topic of water conservation. In Ecuador if you wanted fresh drinking water,you need to travel miles to the nearest treatment plant to pay for very limited amounts of clean water. Meanwhile in our water-wasting nation, people bring your glasses of water at restaurants, where half the time remain untouched and dumped at the end of the meal. Comparing the two, you can tell how much we take advantage of our abundance of water and in times where water is sparse, we don't know how to conserve it.