As I write this article, fresh from a shower, drinking a tall glass of cold water, I am watching a TV show called “Wasted”. It is a show from New Zealand that has been playing here in Israel. The hosts of the show feature a family (or household) and examine the amount of trash and waste that they produce. The newly green-ed family is offered a financial prize for being able to run their household more efficiently.

It is a timely show for those of us living in the Middle East right now. After a particularly dry rainy season, Israel is facing a water crisis. With most of our rain concentrated in four months out of the year - and this year, those four months were particularly dry. Our drinking water comes from three sources - the Kinneret (also known as the Sea of Galilee and two aquaducts. Officials say that by the end of the summer, we’ll be in a water crisis. The Kinneret will be the lowest that its ever been, and the two aquaducts may become so polluted (by lack of fresh water), they will become permanently unusable.

Given that water is such a valuable resource, and seeing that there will never be enough of it, I thought I’d offer some water saving techniques that I found on the internet:

* Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or cleaning.

* Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other such waste in the trash rather than the toilet.

* Take shorter showers. Replace you showerhead with an ultra-low-flow version. Some units are available that allow you to cut off the flow without adjusting the water temperature knobs

*Store drinking water in the refrigerator rather than letting the tap run every time you want a cool glass of water.

* Run the dishwasher only when it is full. An efficient dishwasher usually uses much less water than washing dishes by hand.

* Similarly, only run the washing machine when it is full. Washing small loads uses over twice as much water per pound of laundry.

* Insulate hot water pipes where possible, to avoid long delays (and wasted water) while waiting for the water to heat up.

* Check for toilet tank leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear in the toilet bowl within 30 minutes. Check the toilet for worn out, corroded or bent parts. Most replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available and easily installed. (Flush as soon as test is done, since food coloring may stain tank.)

* In the shower, turn water on to get wet; turn off to lather up; then turn back on to rinse off. Repeat when washing your hair.

* Install a toilet dam or displacement device such as a bag or bottle to cut down on the amount of water needed for each flush. Be sure installation does not interfere with the operating parts.

* Don’t overwater your lawn. As a general rule, lawns only need watering every five to seven days in the summer and every 10 to 14 days in the winter. A hearty rain eliminates the need for watering for up to two weeks. Buy a rain gauge and use it to determine how much rain your yard has received. Most of the year, lawns only need one inch of water per week.

* Water lawns during the early morning hours when temperatures and wind speed are the lowest. This reduces losses from evaporation.

* Don’t allow sprinklers to water your street, driveway or sidewalk. Position them so water lands on the lawn and shrubs... not the paved areas.

*Do not hose down your driveway or sidewalk. Use a broom to clean leaves and other debris from these areas.

* Conserve water because it is the right thing to do. Don’t waste water just because someone else is footing the bill, such as when you are staying at a hotel.

* Encourage your friends and neighbors to be part of a water-conscious community. Promote water conservation in community newsletters, on bulletin boards and by example. Encourage your friends, neighbors and co-workers to “do their part.”

* Try to do one thing each day that will result in saving water. Don’t worry if the savings are minimal. Every drop counts. You can make a difference.

I’m pleased to say that the shower I mentioned at the beginning uses a low-flow shower head, with water heated by solar paneling - and that cold glass of water? It was tap water put into the fridge to cool down without running extra water. Perhaps if we all work together, we can reverse some of the predicted damage, and at the very least, slow down the draining of our precious resources.