Yarra Valley Water has urged younger generations to cut down on home water usage by reducing water-wasting habits in the shower.
A new report has shown under 35 year olds are enjoying lengthy showers, something the organisation would like to see reduced for water conservation.
The survey found 33.3 per cent of Generation Z Melburnians (people born between 1996- 2010) are showering for 10-15 minutes each, compared to baby boomers who shower for 4-5 minutes.
Showers make up 31 per cent of a typical household’s water use, with a new light-hearted ‘Shower Shorter’ campaign launched to encourage young adults to cut showers to the length of a song.
The campaign uses fun characters such as the ‘daydreamer’ and ‘performer’ to tap into all the things we love to do in the shower – such as singing, meditating and solving the world’s problems – that can be better done elsewhere.
Yarra Valley Water Managing Director Pat McCafferty said being mindful of how we use water can lead to better habits that can protect precious resources and save money.
“Young adults are spending longer in the shower and we know the average household uses over 30 per cent of its water in the bathroom,” Mr McCafferty said.
“With a drying climate and growing population, we need to develop good water use habits and protect water supplies for the future. By cutting back to four minutes, the average household can save 24 litres of water per shower and $200 a year on water and energy bills. Small changes like this are easy to make and collectively have a big impact.”
Over the course of a year, the average reduction to four minutes can also save 359 kg CO2-e Greenhouse Gas emissions a year, the equivalent of driving from Melbourne to Townsville.
Yarra Valley Water customers can see and hear the campaign until 25 June on digital channels, social media, YouTube, outdoor signage, Spotify and podcasts in English, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Punjabi and Arabic.
Other general population key findings from the survey commissioned by the Melbourne metropolitan water corporations – Saving Water in Melbourne (SWiM)
● Out of the respondents who sing in the shower, the most popular song to sing was anything by Adele
● Over 80 per cent of Melburnians are aware that they could do more to save water
● Most Melburnians aren’t aware of how much water they use per day, meaning that they might not be doing enough to save water
● Only 26 per cent of Melburnians felt that other people are doing enough to save water, in contrast to 70 per cent of respondents who felt (or at least somewhat agreed) that they, themselves, are doing enough
● 71.6 per cent of Melburnians shower or bathe at least once per day, and 18.8 per cent shower or bathe every two days, and 9.6 per cent shower every three days or longer
● Melburnians were mixed in terms of whether they limit their showering time, with almost 40 per cent indicating that they do only sometimes, and only 37.6 per cent indicating that they limit shower time ‘always’ or ‘most of the time’
● 58 per cent of Melburnians indicated that they never reuse greywater (e.g., re-using bathroom or laundry water to water plants), which is high considering only 10 per cent indicated they have no plants/lawn
