With a single flush, you put as much water down the drain as an average person in the developing world uses all day.
Where does the water piped into our homes go? The average American uses about 100 gallons of water a day. The French and Germans use about 60 gallons a day per capita, and people in some tribal communities use fewer than 10.
Can we reduce our water usage?
We can, perhaps, avoid unnecessary waste. A leaky toilet, for example, can pour away 200 gallons of water a day, tripling usage.
A change of habit or two can also save the precious fluid.
To find out whether you’re a water-sipper or a water-slurper, take the following quiz. Then scroll below to rate your own water footprint.
Answer the following questions to see where you rank on the water-conservation meter:
1. How much time do you spend in the shower every day?
a) 5 minutes
b) 10 minutes
c) 20 minutes
d) I take a bath
2. How many times a day do you wash dishes?
a) Once a day or less in the dishwasher
b) Twice a day in the dishwasher
c) Three times a day in the dishwasher
d) Once a day by hand in the sink
e) Twice a day by hand
f) Three times a day by hand
3. How many times a week do you wash a load of clothes?
a) Once a week
b) Twice a week
c) Three times a week
d) Every day
4. When you brush your teeth, shave or wash up in the sink, do you:
a) Turn the faucet on and off as needed for rinsing or washing up
b) Leave the water running
5. How soon do you fix leaky water pipes or garden hoses?
a) As soon as leaks are noticed
b) Within a week
c) Whenever I get around to it
6. In summer, how long do you water your lawn and/or garden?
a) Less than 10 minutes a day
b) 10 minutes a day
c) 30 minutes a day
d) 60 minutes a week
e) 60-120 minutes a week
f) 120-210 minutes a week
g) More than 210 minutes a week
h) Never
7. How much of your property is xeriscaped (covered with water-efficient, indigenous vegetation)?
a) More than 50 percent
b) 30-50 percent
c) Less than 30 percent
d) None
e) None, I don’t have a yard
How did you do?
Score yourself: Add up the points from each of your answers.
1. a) 1 point; b) 2 points; c) 5 points; d) 2 points;
2. a) 1 point; b) 2 points; c) 5 points; d) 1.5 points; e) 2.5 points; f) 3.5 points;
3. a) 1 point; b) 2 points; c) 3 points; d) 5 points;
4. a) 1 point; b) 5 points;
5. a) 1 point; b) 3 points; c) 5 points;
6. a) 1 point; b) 2 points; c) 5 points; d) 3 points; e) 4 points; f) 4.5 points; g) 6 points; h) 0 points;
7. a) 1 point; b) 2 points; c) 3 points; d) 5 points; e) 0 points
Determine your water use rating
If your total is …
• Between 5 and 11: Congratulations, you are a real water saver!
• Between 12 and 19: Well done, you are water conscious and may become a real water saver some day.
• Between 20 and 29: You’re using too much water for your actual needs, which makes you, unfortunately, a normal water user. Try cutting back on the number of loads of wash per week (full instead of partial loads) and on the length of time you shower; save dishes for one big wash per day in your dishwasher, or, if you wash by hand, do so in a basin, and turn on the tap only for rinsing; cut down on lawn and garden watering.
• A score of 30 or more, you’re a water waster. Put a plug in it!
(source of quiz: National Wildlife Federation).
Learn more about how to conserve water at home here