By Taylor Romanowski

Published 3.22.11

Water is a basic necessity for all life, leaving plants, animals and humans to depend on it daily. There is no such thing as extra water; it’s a resource that is becoming endangered. Which is exactly why we are taking on the challenge of conserving this precious resource… just in time for World Water Day.

We all use water on a daily basis – we drink, eat, cook, shower, wash dishes and do the laundry. All these tasks contribute to each person’s volume of water consumption and pollution – each person’s water footprint.  According to National Geographic, the average American lifestyle is kept afloat by nearly 2,000 gallons of water a day – twice the global average. What may come as a surprise, very little of that, only 5%, runs through toilets, taps, and garden hoses at home. Nearly 95% of your water footprint is hidden within the food you eat, the energy you use, the products you buy and the services you rely on.

So far, 927,988 billion liters of water have been used this year and that number is going up about every 10 seconds. So how can you help? As a consumer, there are several ways you can dramatically reduce your direct water footprint through modifying your daily routines of home water use. By installing water saving toilets, turning off the tap while brushing teeth and shaving, applying a water-saving showerhead and using less water in the garden you can be on the right track to saving water and saving our future.

It’s time to take the plunge. Do your part in returning water to rivers, lakes and wetlands by taking the pledge to cut your water footprint down. Take a tour through your home, yard, diet, transportation and consumer choices; dry out your footprint and save thousands of gallons in water. In turn, this will leave for healthy ecosystems, a sustainable future and one happy camper – Mother Nature, of course. Are you ready for the challenge?

Calculate your own water footprint here:

Take the quick water footprint calculator...
Take the extended water footprint calculator...