During a recent discussion with my GreenCupboards.com teammates, I learned that the average American wastes thousands of gallons of water every year simply by flushing the toilet.  The average toilet uses up to five gallons of water with each flush.  Although we all agree that we’re not prepared to give up the luxury of indoor plumbing, the GreenCupboards.com team began to wonder if there is a way to save some of that water.

This curiosity led me to the discovery of the water bottle method.  Think of it this way: Every time you flush the toilet you could be saving a bottle of water.

Here’s how it works:  The toilet tank (which is located behind and above the bowl) is designed to fill until the water level reaches a designated point.  Place a bottle filled with water into the tank of the toilet. This displaces water.  Each time your tank fills it will be filling around the object (the water bottle). Therefore, each time you fill up your toilet it will be using less water.  To keep the bottle from floating in your tank use some rocks or pebbles to weigh it down.

We all have to start somewhere. One bottle of water may seem small but it will add up.  Try it out!

Images:

http://j-large.hubpages.com/hub/how-to-save-more-water-at-home

http://www.underdogcentral.net/2010_12_01_archive.html