Don’t be SCARED to save water and energy with WaterSense!
by Kimberly Scharl
Is Halloween on your mind this week? It’s okay to be scared at the thought of ghosts and goblins running around, but a truly frightful sight is your electric bill driven higher by wasteful water use.
October is National Energy Action Month, and even though you may not realize it, it takes a lot of energy to provide clean water. Energy is needed to move every gallon of water you use in your home, office, or school from its source to a treatment plant, and through water pipes to your house. The work doesn’t stop there! If you need hot water, it takes energy to warm it up before it hits the tap.
Water may seem like an inexpensive resource, but the more water you use, the more energy you use, too. That’s why it’s so important to conserve water and why we encourage you to “shower better” during the month of October and all-year-round!
Showering is one of the leading ways Americans use water in the home, accounting for nearly 17% of indoor water use. You can shower better by replacing your old showerhead with a WaterSense labeled model that saves water, energy and money while performing as well as a standard model. By replacing just one showerhead with a WaterSense labeled model, EPA estimates the average family can save 2,900 gallons of water, enough electricity to power a home for 13 days, and more than $70 in energy and water costs every year.
October is also Children’s Health Month and a great time to talk to your kids about becoming “green goblins” by conserving water. Check out WaterSense for kids for games and activities to get them in on the water-saving action. You can search for WaterSense-labeled products – including showerheads – and more on EPA’s WaterSense website. Shower better with WaterSense and your water use can be one less thing to be scared of this Halloween!
About the Author: Kimberly Scharl joined EPA in 2010, after moving to the mid-Atlantic region from Mississippi. She is a financial analyst and project officer in the Office of Infrastructure and Assistance, and is the regional liaison for the WaterSense Program. Kim enjoys bowling and spending time with her family.
Nov 04, 2015 @ 20:13:08
This is such a misleading article! Your shower usage is SO FAR down on the list of where to conserve from, its like a drop in the bucket! The place you can make the most difference is on your plate…
Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) water use ranges from 70-140 billion gallons annually.
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Animal agriculture water consumption ranges from 34-76 trillion gallons annually. [ii] [xv]
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Agriculture is responsible for 80-90% of US water consumption. [xv]
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Growing feed crops for livestock consumes 56% of water in the US. [xv]
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Californians use 1500 gallons of water per person per day. Close to Half is associated with meat and dairy products.
Pacific Institute, “California’s Water Footprint”
2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef.
(NOTE. The amount of water used to produce 1lb. of beef vary greatly from 442 – 8000 gallons. We choose to use in the film the widely cited conservative number of 2500 gallons per pound of US beef from Dr. George Borgstrom, Chairman of Food Science and Human Nutrition Dept of College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, “Impacts on Demand for and Quality of land and Water.” )
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Oppenlander, Richard A. Food Choice and Sustainability: Why Buying Local, Eating Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work. Minneapolis, MN: Langdon Street, 2013. Print
477 gallons of water are required to produce 1lb. of eggs; almost 900 gallons of water are needed for 1lb. of cheese.
“Meateater’s Guide to Climate Change & Health.” Environmental Working Group.
1,000 gallons of water are required to produce 1 gallon of milk.
Water Footprint Network, “Product Water Footprints”.
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5% of water consumed in the US is by private homes. 55% of water consumed in the US is for animal agriculture. [xv]
Jacobson, Michael F. “More and Cleaner Water.” In Six Arguments for a Greener Diet: How a More Plant-based Diet Could save Your Health and the Environment. Washington, DC: Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2006.
Animal Agriculture is responsible for 20%-33% of all fresh water consumption in the world today.
1/5 of global water consumption:
27%-30%+ of global water consummation is for animal agriculture.
1/3 of global fresh water consumed is for animal ag.
“Freshwater Abuse and Loss: Where Is It All Going?” Forks Over Knives.