Happy World Water Day 2011

Did you know that March 22^nd is World Water Day?  Did you know that each of us have a water footprint?  According to National Geographic, over 70% of the Earth is covered by water.  Of that water only 2.5% is freshwater and 60% of that is trapped in glaciers and ice caps.  So it's critical that we protect this valuable natural resource.  Did you know there are some fairly easy things you can do to reduce your water footprint?  National Geographic has supplied many of the following ideas and statistics.  I'm keeping it simple because, as I've mentioned before, I'm a bit lazy and always looking for an easy out...

In the house, nearly 22% of water use comes from doing laundry.  Use a front loading machine, and make sure to adjust the settings to the proper load size.  Bathrooms are another place that uses a lot of water.  Repair leaky faucets and toilets.  Take a shower rather than a bath and use a low-flow showerhead.  If you still have a standard toilet, place something in the tank (such as a brick) to displace some of the water used during flushing.      

Nearly 60% of a person’s household water footprint can come from watering the lawn and garden.   Use an optimized watering plan.  Plant trees, shrubs, gardens, and lawns that are native to the area and require minimal watering and/or install a rain garden.

It takes water to grow and process the material goods we use each day.  One of the best ways to conserve water is to buy recycled goods (and/or buy only what you need), and to recycle your stuff when you’re done with it.  Recycling a pound of paper saves about 3.5 gallons of water.

Be a picky eater.  A typical hamburger can take 630 gallons of water to produce (more than 30 showers).  By eating a bit less meat, or choosing grass-fed rather than grain-fed helps to cut down on the water consumption.  A cup of coffee takes 55 gallons of water to make, due to the water required to grow the coffee beans. 

A gallon of gasoline takes 13 gallons of water to produce.  Combine errands and carpool to work or take public transportation to reduce you water usage.  Also, washing a car takes an average of 150 gallons of water, so washing your vehicle less frequently will reduce you water usage.

If we all incorporate some of these suggestions into our lifestyle, we can have a positive impact on the water footprint of the World!