You know why New Year’s Resolutions are so easy to make and even easier to break? Because they’re inherently selfish. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when a goal only affects you, it’s easily cast aside the first time our couch calls our name when it’s normally time for a run. 

So this year, let’s halt that trend in its tracks. Let’s set New Year’s Resolutions that involve a lot more people than just ourselves. 

As in the whole planet. Good place to start, right?

The reality is that like oil, gas and wifi, our planet’s water is a finite resource. As a planet we have a lot of it for the time-being, but there are nations who savour every drop. Let’s make the most of our water by using it wisely in 2016. 

1. Just Use Less Water

Pretty easy, right? We deal primarily with outdoor water flow, but it doesn’t matter if you’re outside or inside, water starts in the sky or the ocean and it’s up to us to lessen the impact of usage. Don’t run the faucet when you brush your teeth. Wash your dishes with as little water as possible. Wash your vegetables in a pan or bowl. Shorten your showers up.

2. Start Harvesting Your Water

…And take advantage of your climate. Enough ran falls in the lower mainland in one day during the winter to keep your lawn watered for a week. Invest in water harvesting solutions such as a simple barrel or an underground tank that slowly releases water into the ground. 

3. Use a Broom Instead of a Hose

In the span of a half hour the other day, while walking the dog, I spotted one neighbour brushing leaves off his sidewalk with a broom while another across the street was using a hose. Pretty easy to see who’s side we’re on. 

4. Perform Regular Checks & Maintenance Inside & Outside

Often the leaks in your house are occurring in places you don’t look very often. Pipes in your basement that are hidden can drip all day and night and never get noticed. Outdoor faucets can also leak, particularly during the winter when we’re less likely to plug in a hose to water our lawn. Keep track of every possible water entry or exit point on your property. Those tiny savings really add up over the course of a year.

5. Optimize Your System 

You didn’t think you’d escape this optimistic New Year’s list without a little bit of pressure to spend money, did you? Well, investing in your home is one of the biggest keys to avoiding problems later. For instance, optimizing your home’s system by insulating your exposed water pipes with pre-slit foam insulation is just one step we recommend people take to keep things running smoothly throughout the year, because insulated pipes means you’ll have hot water faster, thus wasting less while you wait for the shower to heat up.

6. Educate Yourself & Your Family

How much does your family know about water conservation or water harvesting? We’ll admit, it’s not exactly an exciting topic to discuss around the christmas tree, but putting up a couple posters with water statistics in your bathroom, for instance, will go a long way toward keeping everyone up to speed and saving more water willingly. Water conservation is an easy habit to get into, you just need to start somewhere. 

And what better time to start then one of the most positive, ambitious times of the year?

From the entire team here at Perimeter Drainage, we wish you and your family all the best in what’s hopefully a dry 2016.

But not too dry!

Happy new year everybody!