So, today is World Water Day – something I didn’t know existed until recently – until today, actually.  I usually think about energy, but water is as critical a resource as energy – or moreso.  With 5 million people joining the urban population every month, water resources are critical.  It’s no wonder that many experts think that wars of the future will not be fought over oil, but over water.

I’m not well versed in water resource issues, but like most other things, I’ve got measurements, charts, and graphs of my own water usage in my home:

And like most things I measure, it tends to help me move in a good direction.  We’ve dropped water use significantly, by doing just a few things:

• Replaced our washer with an HE frontloader
• Installed dual-flush converters in both toilets
• Installed a low-flow showerhead and low-flow faucet aerators
• Use a rain barrel in the summer

None of this has reduced comfort of quality of life (at still around 100 gallons per day for a family of four, I should hope not!) – it just intelligently eliminates waste in our water use.  Who knows, more austerity may be needed in some places in the future, but for now, I bet most people could look around and find some low hanging fruit to reduce their water usage.  Happy World Water Day!