Use less water
Water is a precious resource and, in the UK, we use 150 litres of it per person, every day. A water butt collects rainwater to keep your garden watered sustainably, while a Hippo cuts the volume of water used to flush the toilet.
The problem
Water is a precious natural resource and its sustainable management is essential to protect the environment, as well as to meet current and future demand.
The UK has less available water per person than most other European countries. London is drier than Istanbul, and the South East of England has less water available per person than the Sudan and Syria.
Each person in the UK currently uses about 150 litres of water every day. This has been rising by 1% a year since 1930.
This consumption level is not sustainable in the long-term. In fact, demand could outstrip the water supply by 6-10% by the end of the decade.
Factors such as climate change are also likely to put supplies under greater pressure, making it important that we adopt more efficient water use patterns.
What you can do
If you have a garden, buy a water butt. Plants actually prefer rainwater to treated tap-water and 90,000 litres of it fall onto a typical roof in any one year, enough to fill 473 water butts.
Installing a water butt to your guttering down pipe, instead of simply letting rainwater from your roof wash straight down the drain, can considerably reduce the volume of tap water needed for outdoor jobs such as watering the garden or washing the car.
You'll also save energy needed to treat tap water - and make a decent saving on your water bill.
If you don't have a garden, why not install a water saving Hippo in your toilet cistern? This simple device can save up to 3 litres of water - or a third of the cistern volume - every time you flush.
How to do it
Water butts can be bought at a relatively low cost and are easy to install. You may even be able to get one for free, or at a reduced price, from your local water company or council - we even sell them at M&S.
Meanwhile installing a Hippo couldn't be easier. Simply place the device in the water underneath your cistern float. When the toilet is flushed, the water confined within the Hippo's polyethylene bag is saved.
You can also save water by watering plants close to their roots in the evening when it's cooler.
Even better, plant flowers and plants that don't need much watering: lavender, lilacs, tulips, sunflowers, wall flowers, jasmine, buddleia, holly, broom and crocuses.
Take pledgeGive your unwanted clothes to Oxfam
Instead of throwing clothes you don't want any more in the bin, take them to your local Oxfam store.
Read moreTackling deforestation
Forests are an incredibly valuable natural resource, but sourcing some raw materials can contribute to deforestation if not managed properly.
Read more