GRACE Communications Foundation

[ Water Footprints ]

What is a Water Footprint? Your household’s water footprint is the amount of water you use in and around your home throughout the day including the water you use directly (i.e., from a tap). It also includes the water used indirectly to produce the food you eat, the products you buy, the energy you consume and even the water you save when you recycle. You may not drink, feel or see this virtual water, but it makes up the majority of your water footprint.

Water Footprint - Concepts

Learn more about the concepts behind water footprints, direct and virtual water use and water accounting.
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Water Footprint Calculator

GRACE's interactive Water Footprint Calculator gives an estimate of your water footprint, which is the total of both direct and indirect water use.
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Water Program

GRACE's official landing page for the Water Program. There you can learn about how water is used and what can be done to conserve and protect it.
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In Focus

Water Topics

Find out more about how water is a part of your daily life through your habits inside and outside of your home, the food you eat, the products you buy and even energy use.

The Hidden Water in Everyday Products

Although unseen, millions of gallons of water go into the products we buy and use, which makes consumer awareness an important step towards water conservation.

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Eco Quiz

Eco News

Quick Facts

A piece of A5 paper has a water footprint of 3 gallons, but amounts vary depending on wood.
41% of energy used in the home is for space heating, which is the #1 energy user in our homes.
One pound of potatoes has a water footprint of 119 gallons.
By 1965, 10 billion livestock animals were slaughtered annually. Today, that number has risen to 55 billion!
A typical chocolate bar has a water footprint of 449 gallons.
Analysts predict that over the next decade, $800 billion - $1.2 trillion will be invested in the solar industry globally.
One slice of bread has a water footprint of 11 gallons.
One egg has a water footprint of 53 gallons.
Of the world's leading 57 crops, 39 benefit from natural pollinators, such as birds and insects.
Cooling water discharged from a coal or nuclear plant is hotter--by an average of 17°F in summer--than when it entered the plant.
The meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions. One more reason to go Meatless Monday!
Only 1.3 percent of freshwater is surface waters like lakes and rivers.
In February 2012, financial speculation added an extra $.56 per gallon of gasoline at the pump.
Animal agricultural operations produce nearly 73% of all ammonia air pollution in the US.
Irrigation-intensive agricultural diverts 70 percent of the world's available freshwater each year.

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