Calculate Your Water Footprint

How much water do you use every day? In addition to the water you consume in the most obvious ways—showering, watering your lawn or vacationing at water parks—water also appears in everyday consumer goods and food. According to data collected by H2O Conserve, here’s how much water is required to produce some of the most common items and foods on the planet:

• Cars: At least 32,000 gallons of water are used in the production of the steel needed for one car
• Gas: 1.75 gallons of water are used in the refining of one gallon of gas

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• Clothing: 101 gallons of water are required to produce one pound of cotton
• Meat: 1,500 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of beef; one pound of corn-fed chicken requires 287 gallons of water
• Cheese: 600 gallons of water are used in producing one pound of cheese
• Beverages: 37 gallons of water go into one cup of coffee; 30 gallons of water are required to brew one beer; 8 gallons of water are needed to produce one cup of tea
• A bottle of water: In addition to the water contained in the bottle, one gallon of water is required to produce the plastic bottle

To calculate your water footprint and to learn more about how you can conserve water, go to www.h2oconserve.org.