Drinkable water is the Earth’s most precious resource. It is essential to life, but often in short supply. And despite what the steady stream coming from our taps suggests, it is a finite resource. It is incumbent on all of us to do what we can to limit our water usage, allowing us to build a sustainable future together. But what can you do to help reduce your usage? What adjustments need to happen? What habits need to change? There are countless little things you can do that add up to make a major difference. These three ideas are a good place to start.

Fix Leaks

If you have leaky plumbing, then you could be wasting gallons and gallons of water every week without even noticing. A drip here and there might not seem like much, but if it’s constant it can add up to a major source of waste. If you can’t fix the leak yourself, contact a plumber to get the issue taken care of.

Don’t Let Faucets Run

It’s become perfectly normal behavior to let faucets emit a constant stream of water that we only use occasionally during the completion of a task. Take washing dishes, for example. You most likely leave the faucet running not just while you apply the water to the dish, but also while you scrub, while you dry, and while you place the dish on a drying rack. All that time, unused water is needlessly falling down the drain. If you respected water for the precious resource it is, you’d be a lot more careful. Only turn the faucet on for those moments when you actually need the water. This same mindset can be adopted for brushing teeth, washing your face, and so many other activities.

Use an Energy-Star Washing Machine

Doing laundry accounts for a huge proportion of a household’s water use. You can greatly diminish your usage just by switching to a more efficient machine. Energy efficient washers also use less energy, meaning they’re an overall slam dunk when it comes to environmental responsibility. You should also steer clear of top-loading washers, which tend to use much more water than their front-loading counterparts.

Water gives us life, and we should respect it as a resource. If you want to do your part to avoid wasting water, take the aforementioned tips to heart. When it comes to conservation, a little effort goes a long way.