Calculate your water footprint.
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/water-footprint-calculator/
What may come as a surprise is that very little of that—only five percent—runs through toilets, taps, and garden hoses at home. Nearly 95 percent of your water footprint is hidden in the food you eat, energy you use, products you buy, and services you rely on.
What can you do to conserve water?
- If you’re in the market for a toilet, buy a low-volume, ultra low-volume, or dual-flush model.
- Fix leaky faucets. All those wasted drops add up—sometimes to 10-25 gallons a day.
- Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when full. When it’s time to replace them, buy a water- and energy-efficient model. Remember, saving water saves energy, and saving energy saves water.
- Buy less stuff. Everything takes water to make. So if we buy less, we shrink our water footprint.
- Recycle plastics, glass, metals, and paper. Buy re-usable products rather than throw-aways, as it takes water to make most everything.
- Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth and washing the dishes. Shave a minute or two off your shower time. Millions of people doing even the little things makes a difference.
- Know the source of your drinking water—the river, lake, or aquifer that supplies your home. Once you know it, you’ll care about it. You just won’t want to waste water.
