We've all heard the term "carbon footprint" which is the amount of carbon dioxide you are responsible for emitting into the environment. What about a "water footprint"? You can probably easily guess that this is the amount of water you are responsible for consuming. Not consuming as in drinking, but as in the water used in our everyday lives.
Some of you may immediately think of the water you use when taking showers, brushing your teeth, watering your lawn, washing your car and so forth. The fact is, we all use water directly as in the examples just stated, but also indirectly. Direct use accounts for only 5% of our total water consumption. Indirect water use can come from foods, electronics, traveling, and more. That beef we eat has to come from a cow that was raised using water. Our fancy laptops require water to be constructed in a factory. Flying to our destinations can cost each person thousands of gallons of water!
Learn more about what your water consumption means and find out your water footprint with this nifty calculator. Don't forget to read the tips on how you can reduce your water footprint!
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