It’s nearing summer and a lot of us are thinking about making our gardens beautiful, bbq-ing, and heading to the beach or pool! What do these all have to do with nature? They all consume an extraordinary amount of water – something that is a valuable resource!
Yes, water naturally recycles itself through the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, etc…), however the number of people all needing that same resource is exponentially increasing. As I write this, Earth’s population is 7,632,819,325!
While in many areas of America, it may seem as if we have an abundance of water, it’s not that way for much of the developing world and parts of America. In fact, less than 1% of all of the planet’s water is usable as freshwater. Here is a breakdown of the planet’s water:
As humans, we need water to survive – after all, we’re 60% water! Not only do we need to stay hydrated to make sure that our body functions properly, but we also use water to produce food, clothes, technology, and more!
To give you an idea of how much hidden water we use, or “virtual water”, 1 lb. of beef requires around 1,800 gallons of water to raise and care for the animal and make sure that the meat is clean.
It’s estimated that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will suffer from scarce water supplies and two thirds of the planet will suffer from water-stress as a direct result from overuse and climate change.
So what can be done? I’m not suggesting that we all starve ourselves of water, but to be aware of what we’re using and to analyze our water usage to prevent overuse of this valuable resource.
Here are some of my favorite ways to conserve water. Comment if you have others and I’ll add them to the list!
Want to know how well you’re doing on conserving water- Use this water calculator! I discovered that I use less water than the average American household, but still overuse water through “virtual water”.
There are always steps to take to ensure a better future and be better stewards of this amazing planet!
Want to bring the calm, refreshing, beauty of water inside without overusing it?
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