• How many people live in your home? The more people, the harder you will have to work on reducing your water footprint. Everyone will have to work together toward reaching the goal.

• Have you replaced any faucets, toilets or showerheads with more efficient models? Even if you have only replaced some, you’re on the right track.

• How often do you shower or bathe every week? The average American showers five times per week, which is just too much. Cut back by taking sponge baths and learn how to extend your hairstyle for a couple days.

• How long do you use the shower? On average, Americans run the water during a shower for eight minutes so work on reducing your time in the bathroom.

• How often do you do the laundry? If it’s more than once per week, try to reduce the amount of clothes you wear. Also, don’t put a pair of jeans or other garments in the hamper if you only worn them for a short period of time or even just around the house.

Do you water your yard? Try letting nature hydrate your flowers and grass, or you can always setup a rain barrel and water your landscaping with that supply when it doesn’t rain.

There are so many aspects of your life when water is used, but it’s up to you to work on these areas and reduce your household’s water footprint.

A big way that you can reduce your water usage this summer is to start planning ahead. For example, water your landscaping during the morning hours when it’s the coolest. This will give the moisture time to soak in before the sun has a chance to evaporate it. Also, ensure that your water sprinkles are directed toward your grass and garden. If it’s window outside, avoid turning them on because the water will probably be blown onto the sidewalk instead of where it’s needed. It’s also beneficial to have a rain gauge, which can help you determine how long it takes the sprinkles to provide the ground with a 1/2’’ of water. Then you will know when to turn them off and a cheap timer can do this for you automatically.

If you’re going to be creating slip and slides in the backyard for your kids, make sure that the hose is properly attached to the bib. This will prevent watering from being wasted. Also, don’t forget that you can setup a rain barrel to collect the rainfall and hook up a hose to the barrel.

It’s also common to want to take more showers during the hotter weather. Instead of showering again, you can take a sponge bath to refresh yourself. But when you’re drenched with sweat from working out in the yard or exercising, just remember to limit your shower time. Maybe wait to shower in the evening so you won’t have to wash again in the morning.

All of these tips will prevent you from wasting water during the summertime, which will keep your water bill low and preserve your rain barrel collection too.

Women can wear their hair in so many ways (straight, curly, crimped), but applying heat to your head so often can cause split ends. If you enjoy having your hair straight, brush it out often while it air dries to guide the hair. Or you can flat iron your hair one day and wear it in a pony tail the next day to give your hair a break from the shampoo, conditioner and water, which can dry out your natural oils.

For preserving a curly hairstyle an extra day or so, scrunch in a curling mousse. This will help your curls bounce back and smooth out the frizz that came about from sleeping on your pillow. Just remember to avoid brushing out your hair, because this will soften the leftover curls. Also, consider air drying your hair instead of blow drying.

Some other ways to preserve your hairstyle include wearing a ball cap, scarf or headband. If you already have these items, why not put them to use? You can also make headbands out of old bandanas and scrap pieces of clothing. Some people have oilier hair than others so keep some cornstarch in your bathroom and apply a small amount to your roots to dry up the excess oil.

Your hairstyle can last several days if you plan it right, and with the versatile looks, your friends, family and co-workers shouldn’t be able to tell that your hair is dirty. A couple days without heat, product and water will give your hair a chance to repair.

I’m talking, of course, of something called clay pot irrigation.

This is where you bury unglazed clay pots in your garden, fill them with water, and plant your veggies (or anything you want to grow) within the range of influence of the slowly leaking pot. Over a matter of days, the water seeps out through the clay wall at a rate that’s influenced by the plant’s water use.

According to the article on the topic at Eco Composite, clay pot irrigation “leads to very high efficiency–much better than drip irrigation and as much as ten times more efficient than conventional surface irrigation.”

You don’t have to worry about watering every day–just fill up the pots as they dry out.

Clay pot irrigation has been around for more than 2,000 years (it may have started in China), so it’s definitely stood the test of time. And, as with so many things, the old ways are sometimes as good or better than the new ways, especially when we’re talking about water and energy conservation.

For those who want more information and ideas on how to implement clay pots for irrigation, here are some videos on Youtube: