Great Green Idea: Green Living: Leave Footprints on the Water with Green Living

Leave Footprints on the Water with Green Living

Nearly 71-percent of Earth is covered with water and about 97-percent of that water is salt water in the oceans, unfit for human consumption. That leaves precious little of this natural resource for the amazing amount of water used for cleaning, cooking and drinking by all of the inhabitants on the planet. Fortunately, water is repeatedly redistributed through evaporation or stored as ground moisture. Unfortunately, humans leave a heavy footprint on the water through direct or indirect use of fresh water.

On average in the United States, an individual will use approximately 2,480 cubic meters of water each year. The world-wide average is 1,240, making the United States having one of the largest water footprints in the world. By contrast, China, with a significantly denser population, has a footprint of only about 740 cubic meters of water per person per year, making it the smallest footprint.

Since 2002 when the water footprint began to be measured, activities have been studied to show how conservation methods are necessary to protect the Earth's water supply. For individuals, it is broken into two categories: direct use, which is water that is used in the home as opposed to indirect use, the water used to produce the products or services used in the home. Commercial water footprints are measured much the same way. Direct use, is the amount of water used for their production and indirect use, which is water used by its suppliers.

To put this into perspective, it has been found that it takes about 140 liters of water to produce one cup of coffee. The amount is calculated by the water needed to grow the beans and process them through the coffee factory and then brew it at home. This may seem rather high, but considering most of the water used in growing the beans is in water naturally in the soil and many coffee mills reuse the water, it is somewhat of a miscalculation. However, without conservation and recycling efforts on each leg of the coffee production chain, the end result could be disastrous.

Many municipalities have waste treatment facilities to turn liquid and solid waste into usable, potable water. However, as individuals, maintaining a clean water supply is often left up to others, rarely taking individual steps to conserve or protect the natural water supply.

When local gardens use chemicals in fertilizers or weed control, those chemicals make their way into the ground water supply. Those using water from a localized well may be surprised at the amount of those chemicals leaching into their wells. If they are part of a municipal water supply, those chemicals are likely finding their way into their neighbors' water supply as well.

There may be some confusion with the term water footprint as most people are more aware of the carbon footprint used to identify the carbon dioxide levels being released into the air by industrialized nations. It is much easier to quantify and measure the amount of carbon being release than it is to show how much water is being used and misused. However, as part of the global water cycle, it is a necessary measure to help everyone understand how individuals can affect the quality and durability of this limited resource.