The holidays are approaching fast, and with everything that needs to be done, this usually involves a higher level of water usage. Think: cooking a big meal, thawing out your turkey, and more bathroom breaks during the big Thanksgiving game. To help you cut down on your water usage, I’ve compiled some helpful tips to get you through the holidays:

• Rather than thawing frozen food under running water, consider letting it thaw in the refrigerator or use the defrost setting on the microwave. According to FoodSafety, the recommended time for thawing a turkey in the fridge is approximately 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds.
• Consider washing all your produce in a bowl of cold water instead of rinsing it under running tap water. This change can help to reduce the amount of water lost down the drain. Plus, the water leftover in the bowl can be reused for other purposes, such as watering plants around the house.
• Rethink rinsing the dishes with running tap water and instead, let your dishes soak in a sink filled with soapy water. This simple shift uses significantly less water and has the added benefit of making clean-up a bit easier.
• Food waste often leads to unnecessary water waste via the garbage disposal. To cut down on water usage, try to cook only what you need and cut down on the garbage disposal usage. Compost food scraps whenever possible, and when they are not compostable, tossing scraps in the trash is a better option than down the sink. Be sure also to avoid pouring any oils or grease down the drain as this can lead to clogged pipes -- and yes, resulting in more water usage.
• When cooking vegetables, consider steaming as opposed to boiling. Steaming is a great way to conserve your water usage and has the added benefit of maintaining the nutritional value of the vegetables.  
• Make the conscious decision only to run your dishwasher with full loads. Especially if you're hosting guests for a big meal, this shouldn't be too big of a problem with the high amount of dishes that you will be using. Cutting down on the number of times you run the dishwasher is a great way to reduce your household's water consumption.

The holidays are a great time to spend time with the ones we love and to be thankful for all the wonderful things that our life provides. So, let us enjoy the holiday season, while also helping with water conservation in the process.

Michael Hendricks is the Water Quality Supervisor for GEI Consultants, Inc. He has 4 years of experience in the industry and holds a BA in Biological Science from Colorado State University in Fort Collins.