Water is life. Without water, you cannot physically live. Without water, you cannot cook, bathe, clean your home, or wash the laundry.

Supplying enough water to meet the needs of billions of people is difficult. It is even more difficult when water is wasted. You can help by finding ways to reduce the amount of water in your own home.

The average American household wastes 40,000 gallons of water a year. Much of this waste is created by inefficient appliances and outdated fixtures. By simply replacing these appliances and fixtures with water-saving devices, you can stop half of this waste. By stopping the waste of water, you not only save money, but you also preserve water supplies for the future.

If you run the faucet in your kitchen four minutes a day, you are using an average of 4,000 gallons of water a year. A water-saving faucet can reduce this usage by 1,000 gallons a year.

A traditional washing machine uses approximately 50 gallons of water per load. If you wash two loads of laundry a week, that is about 5,000 gallons a year.  By replacing your washer with a high-efficiency machine, you can save 2,000 gallons of water per year.

One fifteen-minute shower every day for one year uses 19,000 gallons. A water-saving showerhead will reduce this usage by up to 12,000 gallons in a year.

The largest waste of water in your home is the toilet. An older toilet will use 33,000 gallons of water per year if it is flushed 15 times a day. A water-saving toilet can save 24,000 gallons of water every year.

The wasted amounts of water add up to 5.4 billion gallons and $11.3 million a day. By simply replacing your outdated faucets and appliances, you can save 2 trillion gallons of water and $4 billion a year. Now that is a lot of water.

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Everyone wants a lush, green lawn – one that is the envy of the neighborhood. Garden lovers want the biggest, most colorful fruits and vegetables on their tables. To achieve this, it takes time and effort and, in many cases, a little boost to Mother Nature.

For many people, green lawns and healthy gardens equate to fertilization. So they head to the store and buy several types of fertilizer – a different type depending on the season. Yet while the concept of fertilizer is good – its food and nourishment – the type you choose may do more harm then good.

Improper use of fertilizer can lead to two things:

• water contamination

• water dependent plants

While one improperly fertilized yard isn’t likely to damage the local water supply, hundreds of yards can cause significant damage. The runoff from an improperly fertilized yard carries the chemicals to area ponds, lakes and rivers, causing contamination.

And when a lawn or garden becomes dependent on fertilizer, it grows weak without nutrients and water. Even drought resistant, or plants native to the area can become stressed when it has too much of a good thing.

When choosing your fertilizer, consider the ingredients, the price and the ease of application. Slow-release fertilizers are a good choice because they provide nutrients for the entire growing season. For weed control, consider spot-treatments rather than a fertilizer that contains weed-controlling chemicals. Measure your lawn and garden so you will know approximately how much fertilizer to buy.

When you apply your fertilizer, use a spreader and follow the instructions. Setting your spreader to “low” will help you to avoid over-fertilization. Make sure you dispose of any fertilizer that gets on the sidewalks and driveways. For gardens, you can sprinkle the fertilizer under the plant and use water to make sure it soaks in. By properly fertilization, you will have the lawn and garden you want without risking damage to the environment.

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Have you ever thought about the quality of water you drink every day? How about the water used for cooking at your local restaurant? Or the water you swim in down at the local pool or lake?

The quality of your water is important for a variety of reasons. If your local lake has fresh water and is kept clean, not only will it look nicer, it will attract more people, which leads to increased tourism.

Learning how to help improve the quality of your water provides you with a way to make your local water supply better. The following list contains ten things that negatively impact your water quality. See what you can do to cut down on these things.

1.    Mowing too often – Too much mowing of your lawn leads to additional runoff. Too much runoff in the area rivers and streams causes erosion. Set the blades higher when you cut your lawn, which will help you reduce the amount of water it needs to prevent burning. By reducing the number of times you mow, you allow your lawn to be more natural. The extra leaves, twigs and grass absorb rainfall and reduce runoff.

2.    Neglecting your septic tank – An improperly maintained septic tank leads to possible water contamination. Always keep your septic tank maintained.

3.    Driving too much – The more people drive, the more the roads’ shapes change. When the shape of a road changes, their ability to control runoff reduces. Driving less means you are doing your part to maintain proper runoff.

4.    Destroying nuisance plants – Plants such as ferns, often considered nuisance plants, should be left to grow. These plants absorb rainfall and help hold the soil in place with their roots.

5.    Too much driveway – While you may not be eager to change the size of your driveway, you can adjust it to encourage runoff. Add a crown to your drive to help the rainfall runoff reach the land for absorption.

6.    Cutting down trees – Instead of chopping down nature’s natural way of soaking up rainfall, consider planting a few instead.

7.    Improper use of fertilizers – Over fertilizing your lawn and garden leads to contaminated runoff reaching local water supplies. Read the instructions and use the minimum amount needed. Also look for natural fertilizers that will do less harm to the environment.

8.    Improperly maintained gutters – Your gutters are designed to lead the water away from your home. Make sure your gutters lead the rainfall away from your home and into the landscape for absorption.

9.    Don’t be shy – Instead of shying away from your next community meeting, attend and bring your voice. Participate in issues that can effect water quality.

10.    Not asking questions – If you have concerns or questions about water quality and conservation, ask someone. Contact your local conservation district for help with conservation efforts, and answers to your water-related questions.

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You’ve probably heard the term “carbon footprint”. And most likely you know a few ways to reduce your own footprint by reducing energy consumption and carbon emission.

But what about your “water footprint”? A water footprint is the amount of water needed to produce a particular product. For example, while a small cup of coffee may not seem like it uses much water, the truth is that it takes about 40 gallons of water to get that coffee into your hand.

Make sense? If not, think about it like this – the coffee has to be grown, as well as be processed in a plant. All of these processes require water usage. A products water footprint is simply the amount of water required to turn the raw product into the finished product in your home.

Currently, conservationists are trying to find a way to include water footprints on labels. The hope is that consumers will learn to choose “water-friendly” products by knowing the water footprint of a product, and being able to compare it to other products that may work just as well, yet are gentler on the environment.

Labels that include water footprints could help consumers save on their own water footprint by giving them options. For instance, if you have to choose between two products that have different water footprints, choosing the one that uses the least amount of water helps save water. The goal of displaying water footprints is to encourage water conservation and educate society on the importance of saving water.

By providing the needed information in a direct and easy-to-understand format – on a product label – there is a better chance that average consumers will be able to choose the most conservative products. This could be a powerful transition to helping educate consumers on water conservation, and what it truly takes to produce some of the most common items in a household.

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Have you ever gone on vacation to another city, and found the drinking water to be terrible? It tastes bad, it smells funny, or leaves an aftertaste in your mouth. So you buy bottled water for the rest of your visit.

Why does the water quality change from city to city? We’re here in America, how can it be that different from place to place?

A wide variety of things have an impact on our drinking water. Not only can it change from state to state, but also right there within your own community. Here are 5 things that may have an impact.

1. Mineral content – Every region has different mineral content within the soils. Some areas have higher calcium and magnesium in the water, and the water source is not treated to maintain regimented levels.

2. Chemical concentration – Whether you use chemicals on your lawn to make it the greenest in the neighborhood, or send pharmaceuticals down the drain, it all ends up underground and in our water supply.

3. An aging infrastructure – Water treatment plants have been developed and maintained for over 100 years. As pipes and mechanics change over the years, so does the water supply as it travels through these pipes.

4. Growing population – As we continue to grow and develop as a nation, the way we use our water changes with it. We build roads, bridges and communities. We face eroding soils and changing environmental patterns. All can have a major impact on the condition of our water supply.

5. Location – Are you closer to a water treatment plant than another city? Is your infrastructure newer and more modern than one in the state you recently visited? All can be a factor in our water conditions. For instance, a home close to a water treatment plant may notice a stronger chlorine taste and smell than one miles away.

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An interesting article came out in Fast Company magazine about the water usage throughout the world, and what it means to our future.

As a green plumber, I consistently post information on water conservation, and how consumers and businesses can make changes now to begin conserving on a small scale. But after reading articles like this, and seeing stats from big businesses, it’s easy to see why we need to begin thinking even bigger.

One of the biggest things we talk about here is moving to low flow toilets, as this is our biggest waster of water. The average American home flushes 5 times a day for a total of 18.5 gallons of water. That equates to 5.7 billion gallons of water each day used by U.S. toilets within the home.

That’s huge. But did you know that:

• 300 tons of water are required to manufacture 1 ton of steel?

• 250 gallons of water are necessary to generate the electricity used at home by each American per day?

• The U.S. uses more water in a day than it uses oil in a year?

• 5 liters of water are required to product 2 liters of Coke – which means that Coco-Cola uses 227 million gallons of water worldwide per day in production?

And when all of that competes with our need for clean drinking water, changes have to be made. We also know that:

• 4 out of 10 people in the world have no access to clean water or must walk to retrieve it

• 5,000 children a day die from lack of water or from waterborne diseases

• India spends $20 billion each year on affects caused by tainted water supplies

So the next question is:

What are you doing to conserve water today?

Source: Water World Statistics

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The first World Water Day was held on March 22, 1993, and has been held every year since as a way to highlight specific problems and solutions to our water supply.  The 2011 event, Water For Cities: Responding To The Urban Challenge, focuses on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems. It aims to spotlight and encourage governments, organization, communities and individuals to actively engage in addressing the challenges of urban water management.

Did you know:

• This is the first time in human history that most of the world’s population lives in cities – 3.3 billion people.

• 38 percent of the growth is represented by expanding slums, while the city populations are increasing faster than city infrastructure can adapt.

• Every second, the urban population grows by 2 people.

• 95 percent of the urban population growth in the coming decades will take place in the developing world.

• A lack of safe water and sanitation in cities leads to cholera, malaria and diarrhea.

This isn’t just someone else’s problem. We all share in the need for building towards a future in which freshwater is available to everyone.

Do your part today.

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The Story Of Bottled Water is a great place to start to learn more about our obsession with bottled water, and what we can do to change it. Studies show time and again that tap water in many cases is not only the safest choice, its also the tastiest choice as well.

The most obvious answer is to quit buying bottled water, invest in reusable water bottles, and fill up your bottles with tap water before you head out and are on the go. If you do choose a reusable water bottle, choose a good stainless steel bottle, or a plastic bottle that is BPA and phthalate-free.

If you are still worried about the water quality, invest in a home water filter. As a plumber, I’ve helped many people make choices on home water filters, from investing in a reverse osmosis system, to a simple filter attached to your kitchen faucet.

[Want to start conserving water today? Start with our water audit. We can show you the quickest way to start conserving water in your home and office. Quality 1st Plumbing - your green plumber.]

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When Blog Action Day 2010 was announced this year, we knew we had to take part. Blog Action Day happens once per year on October 15th, and unites bloggers from all over the world to post on the same issue, taking aim at making a difference in our world. This year’s topic: water.

Almost a billion people here on earth do not have access to clean, safe drinking water. Access to clean water isn’t just a human rights issue. It’s an issue that effects our environment, our sustainability, and ultimately impacts all of us.

Here are some startling facts taken from Change that will get you thinking about your own water usage, and how you can start conserving now for a better tomorrow:

Unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.  Unclean drinking water can incubate some pretty scary diseases, like E. coli, salmonella, cholera and hepatitis A. Given that bouquet of bacteria, it’s no surprise that water, or rather lack thereof, causes 42,000 deaths each week.

• More people have access to a cell phone than to a toilet. Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets. This means that sewage spills into rivers and streams, contaminating drinking water and causing disease.

• Every day, women and children in Africa walk a combined total of 109 million hours to get water. They do this while carrying cisterns weighing around 40 pounds when filled in order to gather water that, in many cases, is still polluted. Aside from putting a great deal of strain on their bodies, walking such long distances keeps children out of school and women away from other endeavors that can help improve the quality of life in their communities.

• The average American uses 159 gallons of water every day – more than 15 times the average person in the developing world.  From showering and washing our hands to watering our lawns and washing our cars, Americans use a lot of water. To put things into perspective, the average five-minute shower will use about 10 gallons of water. Now imagine using that same amount to bathe, wash your clothes, cook your meals and quench your thirst.

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By changing the way we do things around the house, we can quickly begin to see a difference. Did you know computers and other electronics use up to 10 percent of the electrical supply of an average home? And these items still use electricity even when they aren’t turned on?

Or did you know that even the smallest of drips from your kitchen or bathroom sink can waste thousands of gallons of water throughout a one month cycle? You can quickly afford a new faucet with the amount you’ll be paying for wasted water.

Here are some other simple ways to save water around your home.

• Check for leaks both indoors and outdoors. It’s easy to spot a leaking faucet. It’s harder to locate a tiny whole in a pipe or hose. Look for puddles around appliances or along your foundation. Look for green, lush areas in your lawn. Or watch for sudden spikes in your water usage. All can be a sign of a leak. One little leak may not seem like much, but over time, it becomes a costly problem for both you and the environment.

• Upgrade older items in your home with water efficient models. Installing low-flow showerheads, toilets, and faucets can help reduce the amount of water used over time, and can quickly pay for itself out of the savings.

• Be conscious of how long you use a water supply. Shorten the time it takes for you to take a shower. Turn off the water while soaping your hands or brushing your teeth. Rinse dishes and vegetables in a tub of water instead of letting the water run. Even cutting down by a minute each day can help add up to reducing your water consumption by a lot.

• Only run appliances like the dishwasher and washing machine when they’re full. Some appliances do have small load or low water settings – use these to set the water levels to accommodate smaller loads.

• Sweep off your sidewalk and driveway instead of hosing it off. Turn off the hose while soaping up the car.

• Consider insulating water pipes. It will help water from losing its heat while being transferred to you, and will prevent the chance of freezing during the cold winter months.

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