It Takes 712 Gallons of Water to Make One T-Shirt
The massive ‘water footprint’ of six things you use every day
It’s no secret that much of the world is running dry. That’s why so many state, local, and federal agencies are urging people around the world to use less water.
And that’s great.
Installing a low-flow shower head, turning off the sink while brushing your teeth, and zero scaping your lawn (aka “getting rid of your grass”) are all good ideas that will eventually save you money while conserving water. Win-win.
But reducing water use in your house is a literal drop in the bucket.
According to the USGS, just three categories account for 86% of the total water usage in the U.S. — thermoelectric power and cooling power plants, irrigation and livestock, and manufacturing. And, the bad news is that taking shorter showers doesn’t affect any of that.
But it’s not all bad news. There is a way for you as a consumer to drastically reduce your water footprint while making a real dent in global water consumption.
But you’re not gonna like it.
Before we talk about the solution, we have to understand the problem. And that means learning a little bit about how things get made, and why the “water…
