101 Way to Conserve Water in College - Part 3: Campus Wide

Campus-Wide Conservation

Here are some ideas your whole school can use to conserve water on campus.

36. Start campus gardens: Sustainable for many reasons, community gardens also save water and reduce pollution in the form of runoff.
37. Use recycled water to water grass: It’s already a common practice on many college campuses.
38. Put out mulch: Packing mulch around trees and landscaping keeps water in.
39. Connect irrigation systems to weather systems: This prevents watering plants when it’s raining.
40. Install shower times with red lights: Make it easier for students to take shorter showers.
41. Get gyms and recreation facilities in on the conservation: Install low-flow shower heads and other water conservation systems there too.
42. Insulate water pipes: When it’s cold out, insulated pipes mean you won’t have to run the water as long to get a hot shower.
43. Ask for aerators in faucets: Propose that your school changes the faucets so that they have aerators, which restrict water flow.
44. Winterize outdoor water faucets: Prevent leaks and breaks from freezing by appropriately protecting outdoor water faucets.
45. Re-route grey water: Maintenance can re-route water from your dorm to water the lawn and plants.
46. Cut out water fountains: These waste water and electricity, so encourage students to carry around their own reusable bottles instead.
47. Install shower timers with red lights: Make it easier for students to take shorter showers.
48. Use recycled water for fountains, too: It’ll still look pretty with recycled water.
49. Install half-flush toilets: You’ve seen them catching on, so ask your college to install the half-flush toilets that use less water when, um, you need them to.
50. Evaluate the watering schedule: Your campus lawn probably doesn’t need the automatic sprinklers to come on twice a day.
51. Take out some laundry facilities: People will do laundry more often (even when they don’t have a full load) if the laundry room is convenient, so limit the number of laundry facilities you have on campus.
52. Use drip-irrigation systems: For shrubs and large areas of low-lying plants, use drip-irrigation systems instead of big sprinklers.
53. Host an awareness day: Besides Earth Day, host a campus-wide "holiday" or public awareness day that’s all about water conservation.
54. Install more efficient washing machines: Front-load washers use less water.
55. Streamline cooling systems: Connect cooling systems to a central water plant instead of having separate coolers for each building.
56. Set up a hotline number: It’ll be easier for students and staff to report leaks anonymously and efficiently.
57. Cover pools: Keep water clean and prevent evaporation with a pool cover.
58. Start inspections: Drop into dorms, offices and bathrooms to perform water conservation inspections: check for leaks and evidence of water recycling, and reward those in the building who have taken responsibility for conserving water.
59. Use recycled water for car washes: If your campus has a large supply of recycled water it’s able to collect, use it for sponsored car washes once a month.
60. Stop using trays: Take trays away from the dining hall to cut down on washing needless dishes.
61. Landscape with hard spaces: Create more space by making patios, sidewalks and plazas on campus, which don’t require watering.
62. Streamline water systems in labs: Campus laboratories use a lot of water, so streamline cooling systems and regulate water flow or even water supply to these areas.
63. Compost food from the dining hall: Putting large amounts of scraps down the garbage disposal wastes water.
64. Drill your own wells: Duke considered drilling its own wells during a drought.
65. Get rid of automatic flush toilets: Switch to manual to eliminate pointless flushing.
66. Use hand sensor sinks: Water will only turn on when you’re ready to rinse.

Thanks to Online Classes for this content.