A high-tech purification system, OrbSys Shower, has been developed to recycle water as you are taking a shower. Working on a “closed loop system”, water comes out of the tap, goes down the drain, gets purified and then the process starts over again. As is stated in an article on CNN.com that features this product, this process “saves more than 90% in water usage and 80% in energy every time you shower.” The water being recycled is touted as being clean enough to drink.

According to the CNN.com article, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 1.2 trillion gallons of water are used for showering in the U.S. every year. A variety of water use statistics are provided on this site, including statistics on average daily and annual household water use. As is stated on the Water Use Statistics webpage, “Water-conserving fixtures installed in U.S. households in 1998 alone have saved 44 million gallons of water every day, resulting in total dollar-value savings of more than $33.6 million per year.”

So even if this newly developed purification shower isn’t the right tool for you to use, you can do little things to conserve water such as taking shorter showers, installing more efficient water fixtures or regularly checking for leaks. These little things can add up over time to something big.