Water Water Everywhere....

Or sometimes not. California is currently facing one of the worst droughts on record, and many other parts of the globe are suffering as well.  Here are a few easy ways to help conserve this precious resource:

• Give your laundry the cold shoulder:  90% of the energy that goes into washing clothes is used to heat the water.  Washing in cold is an easy way to reduce energy use (up to 350 pounds of carbon emissions eliminated for an average household), and it gets clothes just as clean.  ‘Nuf said!
• Shower yourself with savings:  Taking showers makes up nearly 17% of residential indoor water usage.  Switching to a high efficiency showerhead can save up to 2,900 gallons of water - and 1,000 pounds of CO2 - a year for an average family.  High efficiency showerheads are designed to reduce the amount of water used while still maintaining water pressure (because, really, rinsing shouldn’t be stressful).  Many water utilities now offer water saving showerheads for free.  Get something for free and save energy?  What’s not to love?!
• Wait, wait!:  Save doing your dishes and laundry until you have a full load.  This saves energy, and you don’t have to feel guilty when finding the other thousand things you’d rather be doing than dishes or laundry. 

Reducing your water consumption 10% eliminates 2,400 pounds of Greenhouse Gas emissions.

By reducing water consumption by 10% a year, the average American family of four can conserve 14,400 gallons of water.  That conservation will generate a reduction in your carbon footprint of 2,400 pounds of CO2!

This is what 2,400 pounds of CO2 emissions looks like

The carbon emissions related to just the annual water usage of the typical American family is 10 times the size of the cube above.  What an impact making just a 10% reduction can have!