Save the world, one drop at a time

Although water is in a perpetual state of shifting between solid, liquid and gas, the total amount on Earth remains relatively constant. However, only 2.5 percent of this H2O is fresh, and less than one percent is accessible for human consumption as surface or ground water. Now, due to two major long-term trends – climate change and population growth – the issue has become that there is less and less potable water where the people are.

Of particular concern is global warming’s effect on glaciers and winter snowpack, nature’s most efficient “reservoirs,” says journalist McKenzie Funk, author of the forthcoming “Best Laid Plans” (Penguin Press), a book about how various countries are preparing for a warmed world. From the Rockies to the Himalayas, literally billions of people are reliant on snowmelt for water, says Funk. But rising temperatures mean shrinking glaciers and less snow, as well as early spring melts that lead to floods and intense erosion, followed by extended periods of drought.

Further, thanks to an ever-growing world population, increasing urbanization and industrialization, changing diets (more meat = more demand for feed = more water need), and water sources polluted by improper waste disposal, the demand for freshwater is soaring.

In response, many people have become obsessed with supply-side solutions, each of which has significant downsides, Funk says. Three-hundred million people worldwide now get their water from desalination plants, for example, which is double from over a decade ago. However, in addition to pumping the leftover hyper-saline brine back into the ocean (which just makes the oceans saltier and is harmful to sea-life), the desalination process requires an immense amount of energy and contributes to carbon emissions that, in turn, lead to more warming. “It’s the proverbial dog eating its own tail,” says Funk.

And the options just get more sci-fi from there – towing icebergs or giant bags of water across the ocean; building giant dehumidifiers that suck water from the air for distillation; cloud seeding a.k.a. flying around and shooting silver iodide pellets into the clouds; and the “people’s favorite” – treating sewage to derive drinking water.

“Regardless, all these supply-side solutions are essentially like trying to squeeze water from a dry sponge,” Funk says. “And, ultimately, we will end up paying through the nose for them.”

A better choice, he says, is refocusing our resources on reducing demand.

An American family of four can use 400 gallons of water every day, on average, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, D.C. But making just a few small changes can have a big impact on both the environment and your personal water bill.

Here are seven simple ways to prevent our planet’s health – and your wealth – from going down the drain.

1. Lawns

Experts estimate that as much as 50-percent of landscape water is wasted due to evaporation, wind or overwatering. Reduce this waste by only watering during the cool morning hours, says Enesta Jones, a spokesperson for the EPA.

2. Teeth

By turning off the tap while you brush your teeth and shave, you can save up to eight and 10 gallons, respectively. Assuming that you brush your teeth twice daily and shave five days a week, you could save as much as 5,000 gallons of water per year, enough for over a year’s worth of showering, Jones says.

3. Showers

If everyone in your household reduces the length of their shower by one minute, you can save more than 1,600 gallons annually, or enough water to wash your dishes for a year, says Jones. Install a WaterSense-labeled showerhead and you’ll save over 2,300 gallons.

4. Toilets

At 3.5 gallons or more per flush, toilets are the biggest water users in the home, accounting for almost 30-percent of indoor water use. Replace an older, inefficient toilet with a new WaterSense-labeled model and it could save more than 16,000 gallons per year, or approximately $2,000 in water and wastewater bills over the lifetime of the toilet, Jones says.

5. Dishwashers

Wipe dirty dishes with a sponge rather than pre-rinsing them under the faucet and you could save 10 gallons. And, of course, only run the machine when it’s full.

6. Washing Dishes by Hand

Leaving the faucet on for 10 minutes while washing dishes could waste up to 20 gallons of water. Instead, fill the sink with a few gallons of wash water and put the soapy dishes aside for rinsing at the end, says Jones – you’ll save 10 gallons.

7. Washing Machines

Eliminate one load a week by only running the machine when it’s full, and you can save 2,130 gallons of water per year. If every household in America made this simple change, says Jones, it would save 190 billion gallons of water annually – enough to supply more than five million U.S. residents for a full year.