| I consider myself a pretty average person as far as | | | | than me, but are you doing better than the average |
| my personal habits are concerned. I get up for work | | | | American at 1,190 gallons per day? We have a few |
| just like everyone else. I hop in the shower, I shave, | | | | more questions yet. |
| I have breakfast, I brush my teeth. Sounds pretty | | | | Do you eat meat and dairy like the average |
| average to me right? Turns out, my "average" habits, | | | | American? Do you recycle your papers and plastics? |
| mean I use 1,219.42 gallons of water per day! Well, | | | | How about recycling your clothes? How much do you |
| maybe I'm an anomaly. Maybe the Water Footprint | | | | drive? Conserving gasoline means conserving water |
| calculator I used went screwy on my personal data. | | | | as well. The production processes of all these things |
| The average American must use way less water | | | | use obscene amounts of water, and the only way to |
| than that, right? Apparently the average Water | | | | cut down on that kind of water consumption is to |
| Footprint of an American is 1,190 gallons per day! | | | | either not consume the product, or cut down on |
| How can that be possible? | | | | your consumption. Take meat and dairy as an |
| Start by asking yourself a few questions. We'll start | | | | example. I like my steak and eggs as much as the |
| with the easy ones. How much time do you spend in | | | | next guy. Turns out that I am indirectly consuming |
| the shower each day, ten minutes maybe? How | | | | over 1,000 gallons of water a day from my eating |
| much time do you spend in front of you bathroom | | | | habits alone! Now I don't expect anyone to become |
| sink each day? Maybe another ten minutes? Do you | | | | a vegetarian in the name of water conservation, but |
| turn the faucet off when you brush your teeth? Do | | | | there are few things we can do, that will not only |
| you "let it mellow"? That last question had me | | | | decrease our water consumption levels, but decrease |
| stumped. I had to Google the definition. Suffice to | | | | our overall waste as well. |
| say, most people probably don't let it mellow, count | | | | Recycling depots for paper and plastics are very |
| yourself among them. | | | | common and easy to find in every city. Consider that |
| If you answered ten minutes, you don't turn off the | | | | by recycling these products, you not only save on |
| faucet and you don't let it mellow, you are just like | | | | some of the water that goes into producing them |
| me. You are well on your way to using 1,219.42 | | | | (don't kid yourself, it will take water to recycle them |
| gallons of water a day my friend! Impossible you | | | | as well), but you can conserve trees and the |
| say? Well, let's ask ourselves a couple of harder | | | | mountains of waste that go into dumps and landfills |
| questions then. | | | | every day, not to mention the energy expended in |
| Do you have a low-flow showerhead in your home? | | | | the production process. |
| How about a low-flow toilet, or any low-flow | | | | Maybe we can't reasonably save 1,190 gallons of |
| faucets? I actually do not have any of these | | | | water every day in our consumer based society, but |
| conservative appliances and it's a real shame, but at | | | | I'm willing to bet we can cut down substantially on |
| the same time, I use more water than the average | | | | that number. I know I can. The low-flow appliances |
| American. By using a low-flow or dual flush toilet you | | | | look to be the easiest to implement, and how cool |
| can evidently save as much as 2.5 gallons per flush. A | | | | will your bathroom be with a dual flush toilet installed? |
| low-flow showerhead can reduce water consumption | | | | It all starts at home, and it can be a real eye opener |
| by up to a gallon per minute! If you have any | | | | when you realize just how much water can be saved |
| low-flow appliances in your house you're doing better | | | | with virtually no effort. |