She goes on to state that few Americans realize that there is a water crisis in the U.S. as well.
According to the EPA, 36 states will experience water shortages by 2013, even under non-drought conditions. And a study by the National Resources Defense Council says that 14 of those states will face extreme shortages by 2050. But, that study says, no state will be completely unaffected. Counties in all 48 contiguous states are at risk.
In her article, she talks about why we are running out of water and that it is partly due to the country’s growth. “Our population doubled between 1950 and 2000. But during that same period, the demand for water more than tripled. Why? Our lifestyle has changed—more homes have dishwashers and clothes washers and we use them more often. While the average person in the U.K. uses 40 gallons of water a day and an average person in China uses 22 gallons, the average American family of four uses 400 gallons,” Dersin states.
She poses this question in her article: Think you don’t use that much?
The article states that research shows that by the time we leave the house in the morning for work—after showering, brushing teeth, making coffee, etc.—we’ve each already used more than 30 gallons. Here’s how daily usage breaks down: 70 percent of residential water use happens indoors, and 30 percent goes to outdoor activities, such as watering the lawn and washing the car. Indoor use further breaks down this way: toilets, 27 percent; clothes washers, 22 percent; showers, 17 percent; faucets, 16 percent; leaks, 14 percent; and other uses, about 5 percent.
Dersin continued with, “We can all use a little less water in our homes. Simply turning off the water while you’re brushing your teeth can save up to eight gallons of water a day. But as home builders, you’re in a position to do much more. You’ve already made tremendous strides in your homes’ energy efficiency. Why not take one more step toward water efficiency? Decreasing residential usage can really make a difference. Nearly half (48 percent) of all metered water consumption is used by single-family homes.”
Read the entire article here
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