The Ospreys have pledged to encourage players to cut their shower time down to four minutes in a bid to save water and energy while tackling climate change at the same time.
The initiative is part of the Welsh Government’s Way To Go campaign which raises awareness of climate-savvy actions that we can all take to save energy and money.
Swansea-based Way To Go Team Member, Charlotte Davies visited the Ospreys this week to help time the team in the shower and share her knowledge of the savings that can be made by taking shorter showers. Charlotte gave the club infographic posters that will be displayed in the shower facilities as a reminder to the team. The posters can be downloaded here.
The Way To Go campaign has found that the average person in Swansea spends 10 minutes a day in the shower. If we were all to cut down to a four minute shower, we would each have an extra a day and half in spare time and would save 13,000 litres of water each year. As much as 25% of your household’s energy bill comes from heating water so there is great potential to save energy and money by reducing the amount of hot water we use.
Charlotte Davies, Way To Go Team Member from Swansea comments: “Part of my involvement in the Way To Go campaign has been to try different climate-savvy actions each month and encourage others to do the same. Cutting down from a 10 minute shower to a four minute shower has been one of the easier actions to incorporate into my daily routine. It’s long enough to get completely clean and it saves energy by avoiding heating so much water. I’ve enjoyed visiting the Ospreys today and sharing my shower knowledge with the team.”
The Way To Go campaign has produced an amusing video to show that even the dirtiest of rugby players can get completely clean. The film can be viewed here.
Ben John from the Ospreys said:
“With rugby being such a muddy sport and our players showering after every training session and after matches, it makes sense that we lead the way in taking shorter showers and encouraging others to do the same. We all have our part to play in tackling climate change and we are pleased to be involved in the Way To Go campaign.”
To help manage the amount of water you use in the shower Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has teamed up with Way To Go to give away 500 water efficient showerheads free of charge to its customers via its website www.dwrcymru.com/waterefficiency. Water Efficient showerheads typically flow at 7.6 litres per minute or 50% less than for a standard showerhead. The first 500 people to log on to website will need to fill in a short water usage questionnaire before entering the code ‘Way to Go 1’ to claim their prize.
The Way To Go campaign has been raising awareness of a range of climate-savvy actions that people in Swansea can try to save energy and money. In the last 12 months, the campaign has looked at other water saving actions such as boiling only the water you need in your kettle and washing clothes at 30º. It has also touched on turning your house heating down and wearing an extra layer instead, walking and cycling for short journeys and taking public transport for longer journeys. These are all simple actions that can make a real difference.
For more information about the Way To Go campaign and to join the conversation, search ‘Way To Go Wales’ on Facebook or follow @waytogowales on Twitter.