According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a family of four uses 400 gallons of water every day. Despite the majority of the Earth being covered in water, only one percent of it is useable – the rest is salty ocean water or permanently frozen. Water is a limited resource, and with the population continuing to grow, it is essential to practice water conservation.

Many of your everyday activities use water – from bathing and cleaning the house to drinking and cooking. On a broader scale, water is necessary for agriculture, power plants and industrial or mining. The American lifestyle requires a great deal of this precious resource.

At Home

There are a lot of ways to save water around and outside of your house. Efficiently using water at your home can help you save both water and money!

Read more tips on saving water at home »

Eating and Drinking

Whether you drink tap or bottle water, or eat out or in your home, you can reduce your water footprint.

Learn efficient water tips for eating and drinking »

Water saving can be a family affair

We understand that kids like to get involved. Learning tips for sustaining water early in life can help them understand the importance of it and what they can do to help.

Read more tips in our kids corner »

• About 70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
• Ninety-seven percent of the water on the earth is salt water. Salt water is filled with salt and other minerals, and humans cannot drink this water. Although the salt can be removed, it is a difficult and expensive process.
• Two percent of the water on earth is glacier ice at the North and South Poles. This ice is fresh water and could be melted; however, it is too far away from where people live to be usable.
• Less than 1% of all the water on earth is fresh water that we can actually use. We use this small amount of water for drinking, transportation, heating and cooling, industry, and many other purposes.
• Without water, the earth would look like the moon.
• All living things need water to live. People can live several weeks without food, but only a few days without water. We should drink six to eight glasses of water each day!
• Water makes up 83% of our blood, 70% of our brain, and 90% of our lungs. Overall, our bodies are 70% water.
• A tomato is about 95% water. An apple, a pineapple, and an ear of corn are each 80% water.

Source: http://www.fcwa.org and http://www.sheknows.com