Just like you would turn off running water when you are brushing your teeth, turning off water when you wash dishes is a very important way to conserve water. In fact, running tap uses 2 - 5 gallons of water each minute.
COOKING
Wash vegetables and fruits in a large bowl of water and use a vegetable brush to scrub.
Place vegetables in a vegetable steamer on top of the boiler when you are cooking rice or pasta.
Place frozen foods in the refrigerator overnight instead of using water to defrost.
You only need enough water to submerge your food when you are boiling.
WASHING DISHES
If you have a dishwasher, use it. In fact, hand washing one load of dishes can use up to 20 gallons of water, whereas ENERGY-star dishwashers use as little as 4.5 gallons.
If you have a garbage disposal, use it less.
If you do wash your dishes by hand, turn off the faucet until you are ready to rinse all of your dishes. You can also plug the sink to wash dishes so you don't feel the need to let the water run.
