Whenever you use water, you’re also using energy.
Before water reaches your tap, it has to be collected, treated, pumped, and moved. In California, some water travels hundreds of miles through a system of reservoirs, canals, and pumping plants. Moving water—especially over long distances and changes in elevation—can take a significant amount of energy. California’s Department of Water Resources estimates that about 12% of the state’s total energy use is related to water.
And the story doesn’t end when the water goes down the drain. Energy is also used to collect and treat wastewater.
So saving water isn’t only about saving water. It can also mean saving energy.
California is also prone to drought, and climate change is expected to make our weather more variable, including the potential for longer and more severe droughts. That’s another reason to use water thoughtfully—but the water-energy connection matters even when we’re not in a drought.
Sometimes the greener choice is also the easier one
Here’s the nice part: being more environmentally friendly can sometimes mean doing less work.
Using fewer containers, skipping unnecessary transfers, and washing fewer things can save effort while also reducing the water—and the energy behind that water—used for cleanup.
That’s my favorite kind of environmental win.
Environmental advice can sometimes sound like another collection of things we’re supposed to add to our lives.
Another routine. Another product. Another chore.
But efficiency can work in the opposite direction too.
Cook in the container you’ll store it in
One easy way to cut down on dishes is to cook food in a container that can also go into the refrigerator.
For example, I often use oven-safe glass containers with lids. I cook the food in the container, let it cool, put the lid on, and refrigerate it.
No transferring the food into another container. No extra dish to wash.
If an oven-safe container doesn’t have its own lid, a reusable silicone stretch cover can work for storage once the food and container have cooled.
One container can do both jobs.
Let one container do more than one job
I use the same idea with smaller batches of cooked food.
For example, I might store a small batch of cooked meat in a lunch box. I portion out what I need for each meal.
When I get down to the last portion, I leave it right where it is and add rice and vegetables to that same lunch box.
Now the container that stored the meat becomes the last lunch from that batch.
No unnecessary transfer. No extra container.
It’s a tiny efficiency, but those are often the easiest ones to keep doing.
Give water another job
Not every water-saving habit is about eliminating a step.
Sometimes it’s about getting one more use out of water that has already done its first job.
When I wash vegetables, I often use a simple plastic basin instead of filling the sink.
Once the vegetables are out draining, I’m left with a basin of rinse water.
Since it’s only water used to rinse vegetables—no soap or cleaning products—I use it to water outdoor plants instead of sending it straight down the drain.
Same vegetable washing. The water just gets a second job before I’m finished with it.
To me, that feels pretty low effort.
You can decide whether it feels worth doing in your own kitchen.
Less can be the greener choice
None of these habits is dramatic.
That’s kind of the point.
Being environmentally mindful doesn’t have to mean redesigning your life around a long list of extra tasks. Small efficiencies can save resources while making everyday life a little easier.
Sometimes the greener choice is also the lazier one: fewer steps, fewer dishes, less water, less energy.