Water

Though the Earth is about 71% water, less than 1% is available for human purposes. According to the USGBC, 12% of all potable water is used in the residential & commercial sector, mostly for non-potable uses such as flushing toilets, clothes washing, car washing and irrigation. With every flush, we are using pure drinking water to convey our waste – - for newer code-compliant toilets, 1.6 gallons and for older units, anywhere from 5 to 8 gallons! In the U.S. every year, per capita water consumption is nearly 60,000 gallons, more than twice the volume of an average residential swimming pool. Moreover, in the U.S. alone 3% of all electricity usage is attributed to the waste water treatment process, so our water usage has significant atmospheric consequences as well.

Take a flickr photo tour or facebook photo tour of water conservation strategies that have been implemented in our Watershed projects.