In talking about greens in the shower, we’re not talking about rinsing your lettuce in the bathtub Cramer style. We’re talking about great ways to conserve water, and we’re out to prove that environmentalists most certainly do do it in the shower.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub, No Greens In the Tub

Our friends at the EPA tell us that baths use up to twice the amount of water as showers. (How they know this might explain those men in suits outside the house timing me while I showered.)

The average bathtub holds about 190 liters (50 gallons) of warm, bubbly H2O. By contrast, the average Sally and Joe apparently use somewhere between 80 and 190 liters in the shower. Particularly water conscious people can use even less.

Some Like It Cold

In the not-too-distant past, I ran an article about the chills and thrills of cold showers. To the uninitiated, this may sound intimidating or just down right loopy. However, to my surprise, quite a few people have replied with their own excellent reasons for enjoying cold showers. Here are a few:

It’s good for the skin. There’s quite a lot of information available online about this feature. This article is one example.
It’s refreshing. You don’t know the true meaning of refreshing until you’ve come in from a workout and jumped into a cool shower. Not quite as idyllic as standing under an alpine waterfall, but as close as you’ll get from the comfort of your bathroom.
It’s a stupendous way to avoid using your air conditioning. One cold shower a day during the summer and you’ll be racking up savings on your energy bills hand over fist.
Conversely, it saves on energy for heating. Our water heaters sponge up 14-25% of our money spent on energy bills, according to the US Department of Energy. Do the math for your own home bill to get an idea of what you’d be saving.
It saves water by virtue of cold showers generally being short showers. Warm showers lull us into staying under the hot water longer. Cold showers, as you can imagine, have just the opposite effect.

Biggest Turn-Offs

If you don’t need to use it to wash with, don’t lose it down the drain. Try turning your showerhead most or all the way off while you’re soaping up, thinking deep thoughts, preparing for your day, or whatever else you do in the shower. Just use the water full power to get wet initially and then to rinse off after soaping up.

This saves an astonishing amount of water. I was once at a large camp with about 50 outdoor showers all clumped in the same area. The water from all the showers ran together and became quite a rushing little rivulet. Watching hundreds of gallons flow down the drain in this fashion, it very quickly become clear how much can be saved by simply turning the water down or off while lathering up.

Tip: if you use bar soap, leave the water on just a trickle while you’re lathering up. This way, you can keep the bar of soap wet and sudsy.

Save It For The Sink

Mind you, if you’re following the above advice on turning the water off to lather up, you’ll likely run into a problem while washing your face. It’s no fun to fumble about with closed, soapy eyes for the shower dial to turn the water back on again and rinse of your face.

So, say you leave the show running while you wash your face. But what a lot of unused water down the drain!

And then, for those inclined to live the sweet and rosy life, there is the question of face washes, exfoliants, scrubs, and lotions, which can crowd out the shampoo and conditioner on the shower shelf. Why not solve all of these problems with one solution?

Firstly, keep your face washes around the sink. Their fancy French labels will spruce up your powder room. (Guys, don’t try this unless you’re either very secure or in desperate need of a soft, smooth mug.)

Next, and most importantly, wash your face in the sink. By washing your face in the sink instead of the shower, you’ll be able to much more easily turn the water off to lather up and then turn it back on again to rinse off.

Tip: Wash your face after showering so that the tap water in the sink is already hot. You’ll avoid having to run the water while waiting for it to warm up. Guys, you can also use this trick for shaving your face with warm water.

Friends Don’t Let Friends Shower Alone

An invitation to shower together is probably not the best way to make friends or business acquaintances. Unless you’re in San Francisco, and even then there are easier ways to meet people. However, if you’re already in a happy relationship, shower together with that special someone is fun and romantic.

Taking turns to lather up and rinse off, you get all the environmental benefits of turning the shower off while lathering. Plus, you get someone who can reach that impossible-to-reach spot on your back, bringing soap and loving care to an otherwise soapless and forgotten region of your body.

No Ch-ka-ch-ka With the Water Running

Just about the only thing more wasteful than leaving the water running in the sink while brushing teeth is leaving the water running in the shower for the same purpose. Plus, leaving toothbrushes in the shower area is just one sanitary level up from eating lunch in the shower. We all know and appreciate it: brush in the sink and turn the water off except to rinse.

Shower Flower Power

A friend recently told me with great enthusiasm that she’d found a huge way to save water in the shower. She put a bucket underneath the spout to catch water that was not being used. The bucket filled especially quickly when she first turned the water on and let it run to heat up. She then used took the bucket to the garden and used the water to give the plants a drink. What an excellent way to redirect water from the drain, where it’s useless, to the garden, where it’ll help your flowers grow!

Low-Flow Showerheads

Low-flow showerheads are a very easy way to upgrade your bathroom and downgrade your water usage. Look in your local plumbing or hardware stores and compare the flow rates of each showerhead. You can also buy low-flow showerheads online at green living websites.

Photo Sources:

Showers | Flickr

The Thrills

• It’s refreshing. Think that iced lemonade is the last word in refreshment? Not even close. Cold showers arouse your senses like only a blast of icy, fresh water can.
• You’ll be saving energy. You may not know it, but your home water heater soaks up 14-25% of the money you spend on your energy bill. If you’re not ready to take the plunge into colder waters, you can still "flex your power" with gentler methods, like lowering the thermostat on your water heater to 48 C (120 F). Sip up more tips on the U.S. Dept. of Energy website.
• Chances are that if the water's cold, your showers will be shorter. This will help you save water as well as energy. It can be hard to part with the steamy suds of a hot shower. Cold water = problem solved: you’re out in a flash and on your way to face and embrace the day.
• It will cool you down on a hot day or after some exercise. A cool, quick rinse-off feels great after a workout, or on a hot September day.
• It will cool you down after a hot date. Need we say more?
• It will prepare you for travel to places where hot water is simply not an option. If you're not much of a traveler, then you can at least gain an appreciation for the daily feel of life in many places.
• It's as close as you can get to the feeling of standing under a high mountain waterfall: wild and fresh (trust me). Call me crazy, but it just feels good.

This is one of those win-win-win tips. Many people have the kind of hair that just looks and feels better when it's not washed everyday. (Win #1) By skipping a day, you are saving water, product packaging, and energy. (Win #2) And, as usual, it will also save you money. (Win #3)

A regular showerhead lets out 5 gallons of water per minute. If you still haven't converted to a low-flow showerhead, now is the time. Most use only 2 gallons of water per minute. But, you say, "The pressure, I need good water pressure!" Low-flow is really a confusing term because pressure-wise, these babies do great. Many low-flow models even have several "massage" features to choose from.

Talk about flushing money and scarce resources down the drain. Toilets are big users of water in the home, but there are ways that we can minimize the waste and improve water conservation.

The first thing you'll want to do is check for leaks. Add a few drops of food coloring into the tank and check the bowl for color over the following 30 minutes. If you do find that water is leaking from the tank into the toilet bowl when it's not in use, get it fixed.