Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink

I had my water cut off for a few days this week, not because I didn't pay my bill but because they were fixing drains or something in the neighborhood.

There is nothing like being deprived of something you consider essential to make you wake up and smell the roses. Being totally without water was the pits. It also made me realise how much water I actually use. I couldn't flush, shower, fill the kettle, wash my hands, do washing or brush my teeth in the way I normally would.

I live in one of the driest continents on earth and I thought I was quite aware of the ramifications of over using water. Problem was, I just didn't know what it was really like to live without water for a period of time. I am now going to be far more rigorous. Because quite frankly, I don't want to grow old and be without water. I don't want to have to bathe in a bucket or carry water from a stream in pots on my head or wash my clothes in the local lake. It's not the quality of life that I had hoped to have in my muu muu years.

Degradation of our planet and global warming are real issues not just political rhetoric. However, there are occasions when the 'Save the Environment' messages go in one ear and out the other. Time I grew up and listened properly. I now realise more than ever that I need to be responsible and make more of a contribution to saving the planet. There is nothing like personal vanity to make a girl change her ways.

Here are some tips to do your own bit to save the planet.