Turn on the faucet and water comes out. It’s so automatic, so seemingly renewable, why think about wasting it? Because fresh, clean water is finite. The World Bank predicts that by 2025, two-thirds of the global population will run short of fresh drinking water. Though 70 percent of the Earth is covered in water, only 2 percent is fresh and about 1.6 percent of that is locked in polar ice caps and glaciers, meaning the world is sharing the remaining .4 percent. Nearly four million people die from water-related diseases in developing countries each year—the equivalent of the population of the city of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the average American uses 2,000 gallons of water each day.   

Much like buying reusable shopping bags and building a compost in your backyard to reduce trash, small changes can help you stop wasting water.

Related Content: 7 Ways to Reduce Food Waste 

Check and fix leaky faucets and pipes

Even a small drip from a leaky faucet can waste 20 gallons of water each day, and larger leaks can send hundreds of gallons down the drain. To find hidden leaks, read your home’s wearer meter before and after a two-hour span when you aren’t using any water. If the meter isn’t exactly the same, there’s likely a leak.

Do Your Laundry Only When You Have a Full Load

Newer models use 25 gallons per load, and older models can use 40 gallons per load. Hold off to avoid wasting water on a load that includes five tees and two pairs of jeans.

Same Goes for the Dishwasher

A load of dishes can use 6-15 gallons of water, so wait until it’s full.

Don’t Use the Toilet as a Garbage

Every time you flush those wrappers from the Reese’s you don’t want your wife to know you indulged in, it sends five to seven gallons of water down the drain.

Cut Showers By Five Minutes

It could save about 10 to 25 gallons of water, depending on your flow. Low-flow showerheads, which use less than 2.5 gallons of water per minute, are inexpensive and easy to find.

Have a Conservationist Car Wash

You save money when you wash your car at home. Save water while you’re at it. Fill a bucket with soap and water and use a sponge to wash your car and a hose to rinse it rather than leaving the hose on the whole time. This could prevent you from wasting up to 150 gallons of water.

Sweep Paved Areas

Instead of using a hose to get rid of leaves and dirt on a sidewalk or driveway, use a broom.