10th March: Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need!

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come Isaiah 55:1

Clouds, oceans, seas, rivers, lakes and waterfalls
are your sacred gifts of life and beauty to us, O God;
teach us how to use and preserve the waters of our planet.
Creator God, hear us we pray,

Give us your love for the whole of Creation.

We truly live on a blue planet. The oceans cover 71% of the earth’s surface.
Arthur C Clarke said “ how inappropriate to call this planet Earth, when it is quite clearly Ocean!” I love to walk along the shore  and listen to the power of the waves and I am reminded of Psalm 11 which says “Great are the works of the Lord, they are studied by all who delight in them” We need to study our impact on water, we are polluting it and wasting it.

Water was given to us by God as a free gift but it has become a commercial product that is sold for profit.  In some parts water has become so polluted that what comes out of your tap is not safe. Some people have not enough water to drink and others are pouring water into swimming pools. We live in a water scarce country

Water fact: One in eight people worldwide does not have access to clean drinking water. We all need to make small changes to make a difference. Each saving, when multiplied by a million people, can become huge. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Shower Bucket. Instead of letting the water pour down the drain, stick a bucket under the tap while you wait for your shower water to heat up. You can use the water for flushing the toilet or watering your plants.
2.  If it’s yellow, let it mellow. This tip might not be for everyone, but the toilet is one of the most water-intensive fixtures in the house. Do you need to flush every time?
3.  Fix your leaks. Whether you go DIY or hire a plumber, fixing leaky faucets can mean big water savings.
4. Re-use your pasta or veggie cooking liquid. Instead of dumping that water down the drain, try draining your pasta water into a large pot. Once it cools, you can use it to water your plants. Just make sure you wait, because if you dump that boiling water on your plants, you might harm them.
5. Shrink your lawn. Even better: lose the lawn completely. Instead, opt for water wise ground cover, succulents, and other plants that thrive in drought conditions.
6. Keep an eye on your bill to spot leaks. If your water bill spikes suddenly, there’s a good chance that a leak is the culprit. Call in a plumber to check your lines to save water and cash!
7. Install a rain barrel. Rainwater harvestingis a great way to keep your plants hydrated without turning on the hose or sprinkler.
8. Water in the early morning. You’ll need less water, since cooler morning temperatures mean losing less water to evaporation. It’s not a great idea to water in the evenings, since this can promote mold growth.
9. Use less electricity. Power plants use thousands of gallons of water to cool. Do your part to conserve power, and you’re indirectly saving water, too!
10. Re-use grey water.  you can do things like re-route the runoff from your clothes washer and use that water for things like flushing the toilet.