After reading this post, don't forget to enter our contest – you could win a new dishwasher. Plus, do you have your own story to tell? Send it to greenchallenge@canadianliving.com (no more than 300 words, please), and you could win one of 30 daily prizes. I have a confession. While I consider myself pretty environmentally minded, I have a weakness for long, hot showers that I just can't give up, no matter how many times I hear – and acknowledge – that even 10 minutes is too much. I know that many communities in Canada face water shortages every year. I know that here in Toronto, piping water up from the lake to my house is a drain on our already taxed electricity supplies. And in every other aspect of my life, I'm hyper conscious of wasting water – you could almost say I'm allergic to the sound of an unnecessarily running tap. But... well, for one thing, I'm often half asleep during my morning shower, so it takes me longer. I have long hair – it takes time to wash it. I exercise a lot, so skipping showers isn't generally an option (so long as I want to maintain my popularity at home, that is). Plus, showers are a little bit of easy luxury to start my day with. So what do I do to lessen the impact of my shower habit and alleviate my guilt? • I try to make them shorter. I really do. It doesn't always work, but the effort's there. • I try to turn the shower off the second the conditioner's rinsed out of my hair, rather than lingering. • On days when I have a second shower (again, the exercise thing), I make it really quick and don't wash my hair. • Some days, I just stay dirty. It's not perfect, but it's a start. And maybe one of these days I'll learn to shower faster. What's your eco sin? And do you have any advice for me on making my showers shorter? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or to enter our contest, send your story to greenchallenge@canadianliving.com – if we choose to feature it in the blog, you'll win one of our 30 daily prizes. Today's code word: water. Read more tips on saving water, and other ways you can go green in your home, in our guide to greener living.