Big Picture:
• With 83 million more people on Earth each year, water demand will keep going up unless we change how we use it.
• In 15 years, 1.8 billion people will live in regions of severe water scarcity.
• 46 percent of people on Earth do not have water piped to their homes. Women in developing countries walk an average of 3.7 miles to get water.
• California’s water system was originally built to serve 18 million people, but now is struggling to meet the needs of 38 million people, and that number is predicted to grow to 50 million by 2032
Our Water Usage:
• The average person in the U.S. consumes around 63 gallons a day of water indoors and about 100 gallons of water at home each day. Millions of the World’s poorest subsist on fewer than 5 gallons.
• Typical indoor water use is as follows: toilet (27%), clothes washer (22%), shower (17%), faucets (16%), leaks (14%), dishwasher (2%), bath (2%)
• In Florida, 3,000 gallons of water are used for each golf game played.
• U.S. swimming pools lose 150 billion gallons to evaporation each year.
• Two thirds of our fresh water, in the U.S., is used to grow food.
• Half of all U.S. water is used for livestock. A single pound of meat requires 2,500 to 6,000 pounds of water.
• Americans drank 8.25 billion gallons of bottled water last year (up 9.5% from 2005) even though it hasn't been shown to be any better than tap water, requires oil to make the plastic, produces emissions to ship it from wherever it's bottled, and then deposits 2 billion pounds per year in our landfills,
Conservation:
• A high-efficiency toilet saves 19 gallons of water per day per person (on average).
• Taking a 5 minutes shower with a low flow showerhead vs. a 10 minute shower with a standard showerhead saves 25 gallons per day.
• Using a new water-efficient clothes washer saves about 16 gallons per load compared to an older model.
• Planting drought-resistant trees and plants can save 30-60 gallons of water, each time you water, for 1000 square feet of yard.
• Installing a pool/spa cover can save 30 gallons of water per day.
If you have a great "Did You Know" to add to this list, please send it to submit@sustainablelafayette.net
The facts listed above were found in various books, articles, and web sites that seemed credible and reliable, and also contributed by members of the network.