Here are some important water facts to help you appreciate this resource:
- A single tree will give off 265 liters (70 gallons) of water per day in evaporation.
- An acre of corn will give off 15,000 litres (4,000 gallons) of water per day in evaporation.
- A small drip from a faucet can waste as much as 75 litres of water a day.
- Of all the water on the earth (about 326 million cubic miles), humans can used only about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.
- The United States uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day.
- The United States uses nearly 80% of its water for irrigation and thermoelectric power.
- The average person in the United States uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of this water.
- More than 2 billion people on earth do not have a safe supply of water.
- Bottled water can be up to 1000 times more expensive than tap water and it may not be as safe.
- Today, at least 400 million people live in regions with severe water shortages.
Some tips:
- Drink tap water if you can. If you can't, get a filter for your tap water that makes it safe to drink. (Britta, PUR, Aqua-Pur are some examples. Here is a site that compares them for you: http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.net/WaterFilter_Comparison.cfm)
- Ask for a glass of water at restaurants instead of buying it. They will almost always give it to you.
- Carry water with you in a reusable bottle (look into New Wave, Kleen Kanteen, or SIGG) instead of having to buy it on the road.
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