First year student studying Climate and Environmental Sustainability in DCU.
My challenge
To reduce water wastage when washing clothes/dishes

The challenge I have chosen to take on is to reduce my water wastage, especially in relation to washing clothes and dishes. This is something I have wanted to do for a while as in recent years I have become more aware of water wastage; specifically during the rare, but extreme weather conditions Ireland has experienced in the past number of years. The heatwave of Summer 2018 brought this issue to light for me, particularly as I come from a farming background, we really saw the effects of water shortages in our local community. Since then, I have aimed to reduce my water wastage but have never succeeded as I wanted to. I have a bad habit of leaving the tap run while washing dishes etc. so I aim to correct this in particular. Also, the average washing machine uses approx. 50 litres of water per cycle so I also hope to reduce my use of washing machines where possible and hand wash clothes using environmental friendly detergents.