10 Ways to Reduce Your Water Footprint

Did you know that while the world's poorest people survive on less than 5 gallons of water a day?

The average Southern Californian's water footprint exceeds 1,800 gallons per day. Since a 950-gallon daily footprint is considered a sustainable global standard, we still have some work to do. Do you know your water footprint?

We've calculated the amount of water wasted doing simple activities around your house. Some of the calculations provided below are based on sinks that take in 2 gallons of water per minute.

Here are 10 simple ways to do your part in defeating the juggernaut:

1. Grow your own food or buy organic from your local farmers market (South Coast Farms).

GALLONS SAVED: 150 gallons/day

2. Purchase—and use—a reusable water bottle.

GALLONS SAVED: 6 gallons/day

3. Turn off unnecessary lights and replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs or LEDs.

GALLONS SAVED: 5 gallons/day

4. Fill a used bottle with sand, screw the cap back on and place it in the tank to displace some of the water.  Did you know that the city of San Juan Capistrano offers a toilet replacement incentive? Replace pre-1993 toilets and receive a $200 incentive for each toilet.

GALLONS SAVED: 2 gallons/day

5. Install a drip-irrigation system, plant natives and apply mulch.

GALLONS SAVED: 150 gallons/day

6. Only wash full loads, and consider retrofitting your clothes washer to irrigate your lawn.

GALLONS SAVED: 40 gallons/wash

7. Turn the faucet off while brushing your teeth.

GALLONS SAVED: 8 gallons/day

8. Take care of the things you have so they last longer.

GALLONS SAVED: 100s of gallons/day

9. Swap a meat-based meal (or two) for a veggie-based meal each week.

GALLONS SAVED: 2,000 gallons/week

10. Wash your car at .

GALLONS SAVED: 50 gallons/wash