I recently went to Las Vegas for a little getaway, and since they’re still working on that amazing bridge over the Hoover Dam, we took the usual route winding through the tourists and checkpoints. Every time we take this trip I stare at the water level, and the line at where the water level used to be at Lake Mead. I think about water conservation, and how mind boggling it is to think of how much water was once in that dam.

I read an article this morning by an excited author who wrote that Lake Mead was up to 48 percent capacity due to water conservation efforts. He was actually excited by this. When you look down, way down, at the water level it’s hard to get excited. Most experts do say that our drought condition is getting better in greater areas, thanks to millions of green citizens. It’s funny, because water conservation was never an issue.

Do you remember those old commercials teaching us to turn off the faucet when brushing out teeth? I saw a commercial the other day conveying the same message. Of course, these days with our wonderful green technology, you could easily just get a faucet aerator. Or, if you’re really energy efficient, catch that unused water in a glass and water the plants with it. Water conservation is the way to go these days.

Remember when they would tell us to take shorter showers and only wash our hair every-other-day? My hairdresser still tells me to do that. She says it’s good for my hair. Well, I prefer to buy an energy efficient showerhead and continue to wash my hair while at the same time conserving water.

These days there are a multitude of different strategies for conserving water that don’t disrupt your everyday life. Fit your home with a water meter to start off, and see exactly how much water you’re consuming. After you upgrade to some water conservation items you will definitely see a difference in the amount of water you use. You’ll also see a difference in your water bill.

Living in Arizona, hard water is an issue that many of us have to deal with. Not only does it corrode the pipes quicker, it’s high mineral content make it impossible for getting your whites white enough. Installing an Energy Star water softener system will do wonders for your appliances, your clothes, and your pipes. It will also save you money, and help the environment by conserving water.

Do you drink your tap water? In Arizona, we definitely do not. We use an Energy Star fridge for that. Installing a reverse osmosis system makes things a lot easier, and you can kick the habit of buying harmful packages of water bottles at the store. I know you’ve seen those commercials with the men and women working out next to a water bottle. They are extremely harsh on the environment, are hard to recycle, and are completely unnecessary. By simply getting a water system, you will save hundreds on your grocery bill and stay green by conserving water.

Water conservation is simple because of all these great green technologies that allow us to continue washing our hair and drinking cold water while still being green.