Water is an easy one for me. I really do not use that much of it at all. Today I was to assess how much water I use, what I use it for and then do a few calculations. I think it is easy to focus on your own consumption in your home and work and find ways to reduce it. But where it gets hard is the water used to produce the food you eat or the products you buy.
The first calculation I had to do was about my water footprint which is the amount of water required to produce the goods and services I consume. One of the questions for the total side-eye from me. It was 'How long per week do you spend rinsing equipment, driveways, or sidewalks each week?' PEOPLE REALLY DO THIS? Shit I thought it was just in the movies!
Here were my results:
Water used to produce my food - 227 cubic meters/year
Water used within my home - 25 cubic meters/year
Industrial water used to produced goods/services for me - 1517 cubic meters/year
Total water is 1770 cubic meters.year. The average for Canada is 2049 which means I am well below that. Awesomesauce! For comparison the average annual consumption for the US is 2483 and the UK is 1245.
Want to know how much water it takes to produce what you ate and drank today? Check out this calculation. Holy crapballs. An 8oz glass of wine uses 58 gallons of water to be produced. My favourites are taking a real hit this week. First cereal and now wine????
Plans
* Find out if a low flow toilet can be converted to a dual flush toilet
* Look for ways to reuse water - like from pasta or vegetables (I don't have plants because someone ::looks at cat:: would eat them)
* Dream about a grey water system in future awesome house
* Research which foods and products use the most water and adjust spending habits accordingly
Day 1: Consumption Update - did not buy anything today
Day 2: Trash Update - 3 diapers, 5 wipes, 1 cereal bar wrapper
Day 3: Transportation Update - Drove to and from work (with daycare drop off and pickup) ~30km
Day 4: Food Update - 1680 CO2e
Day 5: Energy Update - Same as yesterday
Water Updates
Day 7 - Have to get some more salt because I am having to rewash things that are coming out with hard water spots.
Day 8 - Really paid attention to how long I was spending in the shower
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