March 22 is [1] World Water Day:

The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.

The United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March of each year as the World Day for Water by adopting a resolution.This world day for water was to be observed starting in 1993, in conformity with the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development contained in chapter 18 (Fresh Water Resources) of Agenda 21.

States were invited to devote the Day to implement the UN recommendations and set up concrete activities as deemed appropriate in the national context.

In honor of the occasion, I’ve dug up an oldie but a goody. The following was originally posted to ChelseaGreen.com on July 29, 2008. Here are Ten Facts About the Water We Waste:

From [2] Water: Use Less—Save More:

1. Americans now use 127 percent more water than we did in 1950.
2. About 95 percent of the water entering our homes goes down the drain.
3. Running the tap while brushing your teeth can waste 4 gallons of water.
4. Older toilets can use 3 gallons of clean water with every flush, while new toilets use as little as 1 gallon.
5. Leaky faucets that drip at the rate of one drop per second can waste up to 2,700 gallons of water each year.
6. A garden hose or sprinkler can use almost as much water in an hour as an average family of four uses in one day.
7. A water-efficient dishwasher will use as little a 4 gallons per wash cycle, whereas some older models use up to 13 gallons per cycle.
8. Some experts estimate that more than 50 percent of landscape water use goes to waste due to evaporation or runoff caused by over-watering.
9. Many people in the world exist on 3 gallons of water per day or less. We can use that amount in one flush of the toilet.
10. Over a quarter of all the clean, drinkable water you use in your home is used to flush the toilets.

For tips on how to reduce the amount of water you use and waste, see [3] Water: Use Less—Save More, by[4] Jon Clift and [5] Amanda Cuthbert.

Related Posts

• [6] 5 Ways to Save Water While on the Can
• [7] Nine Tips to Save Water this Summer
• [8] Ten Surprising Facts About the Energy We Use