5 ways to reduce your carbon footprint starting from the confines of your bathroom

In the face of a global climate crisis, it is imperative to become more conscious of our choices on a day-to-day basis. Individuals can make significant changes like controlling and reducing their personal greenhouse gas emissions or slightly more accessible but still effective options like preserving water. Which require minimal effort, conscious thinking and little financial investment. In addition to saving money on your utility bill, water conservation helps prevent water pollution in nearby water bodies, prevents greenhouse gas emissions and can extend the life of your septic system by reducing soil saturation and corrosion due to leaks. 

Give a deep soak to your lawn

Change the way you water your garden. Create an in-house water purifying system that sends bathroom wastewater through a filtration system. This water is then sent out to the lawn for watering. Water it long enough for the water to seep down to the roots where it is needed. A light sprinkling that sits on the surface will simply evaporate and be wasted.

Use water-saving faucets

Introducing water-efficient products has become a need of the hour. With the value of water rising and the chances of its scarcity increasing, brands are actively coming up with solutions to reduce water wastage. One such brand hansgrohe has the Finoris faucet range. Built-in with sustainable hansgrohe EcoSmart technology, the faucet range adapts to the respective application with a flick of the wrist and push of a button, reducing water consumption to 5 litres per minute.

Utilise your washing machine's full potential 

With washing machines taking so little time to fulfil our goal of having clean clothes, it is often used too frequently, thus impacting the amount of water we use. Collect enough clothes in your laundry bag to fill the machine before starting it. Not only will this save a lot of water but also your efforts in washing clothes. You can go ahead and replace your chemical detergents with organic ones. The organic replacement will reduce your micro-plastic output and leave your clothes soft and fragrant!

Always check for leaks 

Test your toilets for leaks at least once a year -- toilet leaks can be silent killers! An excellent way to check is by putting food colouring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the bowl without flushing, then there's a leak that needs fixing.

Shower with a conscience 

A hot water shower is the most relaxing end to a hard day. And the thought of giving that up leaves a sour taste. AXOR gives you the perfect shower head, which provides you with relaxation and doesn't harm the environment- AXOR One. Powered by advanced Select technology, thereby allowing end-users to establish a new mode of interaction, such as pressing down on its all-in-one controller to start or stop the water flow; turn clockwise to increase the temperature. The technology ensures volume of water is not wasted and is released in a controlled manner.

The author is Managing Director, Hansgrohe India