It makes sense that people in drier regions should be water conscious, but why should people in wetter areas care?
“There’s a fixed amount of water. As the demand goes up on water, more and more straws go into the drink, there’s more competition over that shared water resource,” according to Kai Olson-Sawyer, senior research and policy analyst at GRACE’s Water Footprint Project.
Regardless of where people live, water stress can become a reality because of urban and agricultural development, episodic drought conditions, changing climate conditions and even water contamination.
Those who are more DIY, who are more self-sufficient or who grow their own food and livestock know the value of water and often want to use it more productively. Whether it’s fixing leaks, buying more efficient appliances, using drip irrigation, harvesting rainwater, building soil health and much more, water-savings to be found. That goes for direct water use as well as the virtual water use that goes into the goods and services people buy and use.
In the end, coming up with ways to reuse and recycle water is always smart, but the best way of all is to simply use less.