The Shorter Shower Competition

Taking shorter showers might seem small and not beneficial towards the environment, but in this article I will explain why taking shorter showers has a very large (and positive) impact on the earth and why you should aim to take shorter showers too!

“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”― John F. Kennedy

I’ve always been a very competitive person and I’ve also studied extensively on sustainability and the health of our planet, so taking shorter showers and making it into a competition for our DOT project* sounded like the perfect idea. Me and my best friend, Gabi, decided that we wanted to have a more sustainable lifestyle, but we didn't know what to do. Once we decided to take showers, we felt as if we weren't doing enough, so we planned a competition that would take place in our neighborhoods. The competition would be called “The Shorter Shower Competition” where our neighbors (and us) would take part and see how much water we can save. At the end of this project, whichever neighborhood saves the most water will be featured in a article in the Northwest Current that talks about sustainable living.

*What is the DOT project? The DOT project is a project eighth graders take part in in their science class at Oyster-Adams, where they try to change their lifestyle to make it more sustainable.

According to a study published by Boston University, “ The average American uses 25,300 gallons of water a year (69.3 gallons daily). In 2008, BU used approximately 388 million gallons of water. This translates into 11,600 gallons per person. You can help reduce the waste of this precious resource by making simple changes in your daily routine. An average shower uses about 5 gallons of water per minute. If you shorten your shower by 2 minutes, you can cut your water use by 10 gallons.” With 69.3 gallons of water, one could water more than three whole football fields!

Here’s the link to the BU website:

Take Shorter Showers " Sustainability " Boston University

So why should you take shorter showers?

1. There are water shortages around the world and long showers are a cause
2. Water isn’t an everlasting resource
3. You would also be saving money