What Is Your Water Footprint?

Continuing the water theme from last week, have you ever thought of water as a limited resource? It is important to drink enough water, yes, but also important not to waste it.
 
A “water footprint” is the amount of water used for things we do, wear, eat, drink and use – for example, do you run the water from your tap for several minutes to get it cold enough to drink? Try filling a pitcher or several water bottles to store in your refrigerator overnight; that way, you will always have cold water to drink without wasting any.
 
Another way water is wasted is overwatering the garden, using too much to boil pasta, or filling a whole kettle to just drink a cup of tea - notice how these are all food related examples in your own home. Other, bigger, examples are eating beef and sugar, since both use excessive water to produce. If those ideas are too big to bite off, you can still reduce your water footprint with a few easy changes:
 
·          Store water in the refrigerator for a cold drink on demand
·          Pay attention while you water your garden and skip watering your lawn
·          Cook with and heat up only the amount of water you need
·          Eat fewer processed foods; these use more water for production, not to mention plastic storage and transportation
·          Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and while lathering up in the shower
·          Take your car to a carwash; this takes less water than using your hose at home and prevents pollutants from getting into fresh water supplies
 
Get more ideas here. Also, I use this website to calculate my personal water footprint. Try it; you may be amazed at how much water you use.

Just One Thing to do:  Reduce your water waste using one of the tips above!