Improve your water mindfulness for Water Night

Eurobodalla Council is encouraging residents to discover how much water they use in just one night by participating in a national water mindfulness challenge.

Launched by not-for-profit organisation Smart Approved WaterMark, Water Night challenges participants to use only one bucket of water for everything except handwashing, drinking and flushing during a 12-hour period.

Eurobodalla Council’s sustainability education officer Gillian Kearney said the event encouraged all members of a household to face their water-using ‘auto-pilot’.

“We often reach for the tap without giving it a second thought – to rinse dishes, wipe a child’s face or bench, fill a kettle, and more,” she said.

“Smart Water studies indicate Australians have a low ‘water literacy’ rate - we are not fully aware of how much and how often we use water.

“And 63 per cent of those surveyed said that once they knew how much water they used around the home, it encouraged them to think how they used it, and how they could use it more efficiently.”

The study, conducted before COVID-19, also revealed that each person reached for a tap nine times a day, and flushed the toilet five times a day, on average.

“That can really add up in larger family households,” Ms Kearney said.

“Water Night is a great opportunity to see just how often we reach for the taps in one night and how much we take it for granted.”

Water Night will be held during National Water Week from 5pm Thursday 22 October to 5am Friday 23 October. Register at https://waternight.com.au/

Participants are also encouraged to decorate their valuable water bucket and post their experience of no taps, one bucket on social media.

“We’re hoping lots of school groups and families will register and take part,” Ms Kearney said.

Learn water-saving tips and more about Eurobodalla Council’s long-term strategic plan for water supply, the Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy, here.