According to a bulletin from RHS Sustainability, the amount of water consumed by residence halls in one year could fill three-and-a-half Spartan Stadiums and, from 2013-14, residence halls used 311 million gallons of water.

“Simple things, such as turning off water when you are not using it, are very important.” Residential and Hospitality Services sustainability manager Carla Iansiti said. “Water is wasted every day and can be saved by turning off the faucet or showerhead when it isn’t being used.”

Iansiti also emphasized there are several water bottle filling stations on campus that are a more economic-friendly option than using plastic water bottles.

MSU students play an important role in helping MSU to be more green. There is now a special way Spartans can pledge themselves to being more environmentally concerned.

Students can go online and take the pledge to “Be Spartan Green.”  

“The Green Pledge is a way to have Spartans affirm their commitment to living a sustainable lifestyle,” MSU Sustainability project coordinator Sean Barton said. “Whether it is using materials wisely and recycling when possible, using less energy and especially using less water, it is important for us all to try to have a more holistic approach to sustainability.”

Barton said one of the most important ways to conserve water is by being watchful in the residence halls.

Watching for leaks and drips in the residence hall bathrooms and a simple service request can drastically save water.

“A couple drips a second can be thousands of gallons of water a year,” Barton said. “Every drop counts. Each individual drip doesn’t make a whole lot of difference, but when you add them all together, these all add up to be a sizable amount.”

Other ways students can conserve water include taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when brushing their teeth and filling the sink with water when shaving or washing instead of running the faucet.