Water saving

Reduce Your Water Footprint

Although we are surrounded by sea, water is a very limited resource on our small island. Demand increases enormously in the summer. Here’s how you can help conserve it.

At Home

Fix any leaks inside your house or in your garden.

Avoid using unnecessary water to clean your car or terrace. You can clean your car with recycled water from the shower or kitchen, or simply use a dry cloth to remove the dust. For the terrace, either sweep or use a damp mop.

If you can, install a low-flush toilet. If not, simply fill a plastic bottle with water and place it in your toilet tank or cistern: this  will reduce the amount of water you use every time you flush.

Collect rainwater or the water left over from washing and boiling vegetables to irrigate your garden.

Switch off the tap rather than letting it run while brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your hands.

Take shorter showers and have a bucket ready to collect the water while your shower is getting warm or even during your shower. You can reuse this water for watering the garden, cleaning or for the toilet tank.

If you can, install a grey or/and black water system to purify water from sinks, washing machines, showers and toilets. Reuse this water in your garden or in toilet tanks.

If you have a reverse osmosis filter, see if you can collect the reject water that is usually lost with this type of system and use it in the garden, for example. If you’d like some extra help, contact a plumber.

In the Garden

Plant drought-tolerant and local plants and keep plants close together so that they benefit from each other's shade and the soil retains moisture and stays cool.

Get your plants used to a low watering programme. Water well in regular intervals, but not very often.

To avoid evaporation, water in the early mornings or evenings, not during the middle of the day.

Use straw, wood chipings or dry leaves as a mulch to protect your soil from the heat and to reduce evaporation.

To make even better use of the available water , ask a permaculture expert for further tips or even to help you design a new water-wise garden.