The world is experiencing water shortages on all continents and water conservation is becoming increasingly important. One of vital human needs, clean drinking water, can no longer be trusted to be available forever, even in regions with seemingly sufficient rainfall. Drinking water is already in short supply in many places and not just in the arid desert southwest.
Over the past five years, according to a 2008 report by the US Environmental Protection Agency, nearly every region in the US experienced water shortages. This shortage is due to groundwater being withdrawn in quantities that exceed the rate at which it is replenished, or to municipal drinking water systems that are not large enough. Many cities already impose limited external irrigation and irrigation for gardens and lawns. The answer to inadequate water supply systems is to conserve water, not build a bigger and better distribution system and add another wastewater treatment plant.
Large amounts of water are consumed to maintain our way of life. The production of the products we buy so quickly on a daily basis uses large amounts of water. And most of us are not aware of this. The following list offers some examples of the water needed to grow food, make paper, or clothes.
- 1 cup of coffee: 37 gal. Does not include washing the cup
- 1 pound potatoes: 108 gallons
- 1 slice of wheat bread: 11 gallons
- 1 pound of beef: 1,860 gallons (yes, that’s correct)
- 1 cotton t-shirt: 713 gallons
- 0.6 gallons for a sheet of recycled paper. Up to 8 gallons for new paper
The above list was found at www.waterfootprint.org, a great educational resource for water use and conservation.
Every day we consume hundreds of gallons of water without realizing it, because we do not see that water. Reduce the use of water to produce our food, paper, clothing, etc. it is essential for successful water conservation. However, we must first know about this and educate ourselves on where and how water is used. Once we know and understand, we can take the necessary action.
So how can you conserve water at home? For example, when you recycle paper, in addition to saving trees, you also drastically decrease the amount of water used. Or, you might consider keeping that old-fashioned but still in good condition t-shirt instead of buying a new one. That way, you can save more than 700 gallons of water. Ask yourself if you really should have a 16-ounce steak for dinner, given that you already had 2 eggs for breakfast with 53 gallons of water each, and a 1/4-pound hamburger for lunch that used about 500 gallons of water. . ?
And how can we conserve water outside the home? Millions of gallons of precious water are wasted by overwatering your lawn. Too many irrigation systems can be seen in operation in the middle of the day, in the hot sun, when most of the water will evaporate without reaching the roots of the plants. Many homeowners also water their lawn too often, wasting water and ending up with weak plants, which have shallow roots. A lush green lawn in arid climates is not possible without wasting, yes wasting, an incredible amount of precious water. Commercial agricultural or garden irrigation systems are also guilty of using automatic irrigation systems on rainy days or at noon.
Humans, animals, and plants need water to survive. It is urgent that we start conserving water right now so that humans, as well as animals and plants, can thrive. What we do as individuals and as a society as a whole has a great impact. The way we live and the daily choices we make, whether it’s wasting water or helping to support water conservation.