One of the first environmental lessons I ever learned is still one of the easiest to do. I remember waiting at a restaurant as a little kid and reading a "Did you know?" on the back of the menu about how much water is wasted when you leave the faucet on while brushing your teeth. Here's the facts:

> Turning off the water while brushing your teeth can save a family as much as 10 gallons a day – 3,650 gallons a year.

> The average person uses 80 to 100 gallons of water a day.

Here's some other facts from Dollars Down the Drain? Conserving Water in the Home: The American Water Works Association estimates that the average American family uses 28 percent of the water used in their home to flush the toilet; 22 percent to wash clothes; 21 percent to take showers; 12 percent from faucets; 9 percent to take baths; 5 percent toilet leakage; and 3 percent to wash dishes.

In a typical household, bathing and showering account for 25 to 60 gallons of water per person per day. If a shower lasts longer than seven minutes, taking a bath will use less water. Replacing a shower head can pay for itself in two years or less. Newer shower heads are required to use 2.5 gallons of water per minute or less. (Older models used five or more gallons per minute.)

What You Can Do to Save Water Inside the Home

Water is a limited resource so it is vital that we all work together to maintain it and use it wisely. Here are a few tips you can follow to help conserve:

• Check for leaky toilets (put a drop of food coloring in the tank, let it sit ­ if the water in the bowl turns color, you have a leak).

• Consider replacing your 5 gallon per flush toilet with an efficient 1.6 gallon per flush unit. This will permanently cut your water consumption by 25%.

• Fix leaking fixtures as soon as possible. A leaking faucet or toilet can dribble away thousands of gallons of water a year.

• Run only full loads in dishwashers and washing machines. Rinse all hand-washed dishes at once.

• Turn off the faucet while brushing teeth, or shaving.

• Store a jug of ice water in the refrigerator for a cold drink.