Let’s thrive

SUSTAINABILITY STORIES

Water is one of our most precious resources. We can all do our part to help make sure water is not wasted at home, in our gardens, at school and in our community.

You might be wondering why it is so important to use water wisely, and it is because Australia is one of the driest countries in the world and where we live in Tamworth can be a very dry place.

At home about 40% of all water used is in our bathrooms and a lot of that water is wasted. One way we can all help reduce this waste is by taking shorter showers, putting a bucket in the shower to collect excess water to use on the garden and turning off the taps when brushing your teeth.

Another place we use a lot of water in our house is in the laundry. In the laundry we need to make sure there are no leaking taps, and have a look to see how many stars are on the sticker on your washing machine. The more stars, the better your washing machine is for the environment, by saving water and being more energy efficient.

Water is very precious because we need water to survive so anything you can do to save water at your house is really important and helps protect our supply.

You might have heard words like drought and water restrictions a lot lately and that’s because in Tamworth we have just experienced one of the worst droughts ever. If you’re not sure what drought is, it is a time when an area, town, region or country doesn’t have enough precipitation (rain/snow). The lack of rain or snow can mean that rivers and lakes and dams don’t have enough water. This lack of water can then damage the ground, plants and animals including humans. Droughts are very costly weather events because of the damage they can do. That is why it is important to follow Council’s water restrictions very closely. Water restrictions are one way Council helps us to look after our water supply. Water restrictions tell us how much water we can use at home, work and school each day and if we can run under the sprinkler, or if we can’t. Do you know how much water your house uses? Download this activity sheet to find out.