For several years, our University has been committed to reducing plastic use by distributing water bottles and installing drinking water supply columns. Additionally, through a partnership with Acea Innovation, we have installed three water refill stations in Luiss Gardens.
1. Use a reusable water bottle or container
In the Mediterranean basin, 1,178,000 tons of plastic have been identified. Italy ranks as the top country in Europe for bottled water consumption. Every year, we consume 8 billion 1.5-liter bottles, producing 280 thousand tons of plastic waste. Even if you choose organic plastic bottles, you need to consider transportation. One bottle of water emits as much carbon dioxide as driving one kilometer in a car.
2. Take short showers and choose showering instead of bathing
Choosing to shower instead of taking a bath can save up to 1,200 liters of water per year. On average, a bath consumes between 100 and 160 liters of water, while a 5-minute shower uses a maximum of 40 liters.
3. Turn off the faucet when not in use
Turning off the faucet, for example, while washing hands or brushing teeth can save at least 6 liters of water in a single minute. Conversely, letting the water run results in a waste of about 30 liters of water. It is also worth considering that even the small drops that fall from a partially closed faucet can lead to an annual waste of about 21,000 liters of water!
4. Always use the dishwasher and washing machine with a full load
It is a good practice to run the dishwasher and washing machine only when they are fully loaded. For instance, an energy class A dishwater without prewashing can use up to 15 liters of water per load, but this can be reduced to 7 liters with a class A+++ dishwasher.
Similarly, an energy class A washing machine load can consume up to 322 Kwh per year, while using an A+++ washing machine consumes less than 218 Kwh per year. Planning your laundry and dishes can significantly reduce resource consumption and waste!