Earth Day 2008: Water Conservation

“There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.”
~ M. Gandhi



As you may already know, Earth Day is April 22, 2008. While I despise the commercialism of most holidays, I believe Earth Day is one holiday worth celebrating. For this reason, I decided to research how much water the average person uses each day.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, estimates vary, but each person uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day. The largest use of household water is to flush the toilet, and to take showers and/or baths. The specific figures are as follows:

Bath: 50 gallons
Shower: 2 gallons per minute
Teeth brushing: 1 gallon
Hands/face washing: 1 gallon
Face/leg shaving: 1 gallon
Dishwasher: 20 gallons/load
Dishwashing by hand: 5 gallons/load
Clothes washing (machine): 10 gallons/load
Toilet flush: 3 gallons
Glasses of water drunk: 8 oz. per glass (1/16th of a gallon)

This information is of great interest to me since we moved into Tater. Currently, Tater holds 20 gallons of potable water. The sink and shower drain into a 15 gallon gray water holding tank. The toilet drains into an equally-sized black water holding tank. If Ben and I used the average estimate of 80 gallons of water per day per person, we’d have to fill up 8 times EACH day (as well as dump 8 times each day)! For now, we fill up probably twice a week. (Keep in mind, we are often able to shower at the hotel and we each have a gym membership where we also have access to showers.) Sometimes we are lucky enough to fill up at a friend’s house or at the hotel. Otherwise, we fill up at the gas station, which takes extra time and elbow grease, both of which we can spare.



You might be wondering how we can share 40 gallons of water per week. (I know, it sounds ridiculous!) We don’t have a dishwasher, a washing machine or a bathtub. Our shower comes equipped with an on/off lever so as not to waste water while soaping up. Since the shower measures 22”x29”, there is no reason to spend much time in there. You soap up, rinse off, and get out. Shaving, for the most part, happens outside of the shower - usually with a small bowl of water, shaving cream, and a razor. We don’t leave the water running while we brush our teeth or wash dishes. We don’t drink tap water... we buy drinking water. (Anyone who has experienced California tap water understands this.) Flushing the toilet is the one place we NEVER skimp on water. Too little water in the black water tank makes for a stinky situation. The gray water tank always fills up much quicker than the black water: with the usual teeth-brushing and dish-washing, we can only manage about 4 showers before we need to empty the tank.

I once stumbled across this ancient Indian proverb and it really spoke to me:


Obviously, I don’t have children and the reason may have more to do with that proverb than anything else. I think it is every person’s responsibility to do whatever they can to protect our Earth for the sake of future generations. If the average American spent on eco-friendly products what they would normally spend on Christmas gifts each year, we would all reap the benefits. Doesn’t it make more sense to celebrate something tangible like the Earth, rather than some imaginary fat guy in a red suit? Now, get out there and start celebrating!