Web Site Educates, Helps Visitors Conserve
A new Web site called H2O Conserve provides practical information and tools for the average American to act to conserve water.
Every aspect of our lives is connected to water, and we use enormous amounts of it to make everything from electricity to food to household products. For example, it takes 24 gallons of water to make a single pound of plastic, and more than 100 gallons to make a pound of cotton. Even the electricity we use is tied to water, with power plants consuming 40 percent of our country's fresh water resources.
The Web site's H2O Calculator takes all of these factors into account; after visitors answer a few questions, it reveals how much water their lifestyles require. After using the calculator, visitors are invited to learn more about our water system and important water issues. The site also provides tips for saving water at home.
"By allowing visitors to calculate their ‘water footprint,’ including the water they use at home, the water used to produce their food, energy and household products, we hope to get people thinking about water in a whole new way," said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch.