How to Find Out if You Use Too Much Water
A new website, H2O Conserve, allows you to actually calculate how much water you use so you can begin to assess your "water footprint." As their site explains, "Your water footprint takes into account not only the water used in your home, but also the water that is used to produce the food you choose to eat and the products you buy. Your water footprint also includes other factors, such as the water used to cool the power plants that provide your electricity and the water that is saved when you recycle. You may not drink, feel or see this water, but it makes up the large majority of your water footprint."
On a global scale, water consumption varies greatly. It is estimated that, in order to survive, a person needs 4 to 5 gallons of water per day -- this includes water for drinking, cooking and sanitation. The average water use per person per day, just for domestic purposes in the United States and Canada is actually around 150 gallons. In Europe, things are different. With roughly the same standard of living, the average resident of the United Kingdom uses 31 gallons per person per day. And of course, in the developing world, the numbers are a stark contrast. The average person living in Africa uses 5 gallons per person per day, which means that in many areas, people are getting even less water than that -- and often not enough to survive. Globally, a staggering 25,000 people die daily from lack of access to clean water.
