H20 = Life

Ever since the Apollo astronauts photographed Earth from space, we've had this image of our home as a strikingly blue planet, a place of great water wealth. But of all the water on earth, only about 3.5 percent is freshwater -- and two-thirds of that is locked up in glaciers and ice caps. Less than one-hundredth of one percent of Earth's water is fresh and renewed each year by the solar-powered hydrologic cycle.

That sounds like a solid, common-sense policy and one my husband would thoroughly enjoy.

How would you like a forty gallon water chaser with your beer?

It takes 40 gallons of water, given all the factors in production, transportation, etc. to create your big mug of beer.

Shall we just go out for burgers?

2,029 gallons

Bucket of chicken?

468 gallons

Let's just go pick a bushel of apples. Wait -- with the irrigation, that would probably be a lot of water, too.

Here's what's really interesting -- apples take about 72 gallons per bushel.

Tomatoes -- 16 gallons

A couple of loaves of bread -- 171 gallons

A pound of cheese -- 600 gallons.

So you see, I'm not picking on agriculture and irrigation at all. I'm not even saying put down that beer. Just realize what goes into the consumption.

Little things, things we've heard before, things that, if we all did them, would add up considerably.

Fix leaks.

Get a low-flow toilet (I know, that kind of scares me too because I like things flushed away decidedly the first time).

Get a water-efficient shower head.

Make your backyard garden and lawn more water friendly: richly composted organic soil stores water, keeping it out of storm drains when it's rainy and saving water when it's dry. Plant a cover crop in late summer. Before spring planting, mow the cover crop and cover the bed with a lawyer of cardboard topped by straw or leaf mulch. Plant seedlings or large seeds through small holes cut in the cardboard, or till the cover crop then plant veggies or flowers.

Catch the rain in a rain barrel.

You noticed that, eh? While a compost toilet can save hundreds of gallons of water per week and while if they're hooked up correctly they don't produce odor and the compost, mixed with rainwater, can be really good for plants and lawns, and blah blah blah -- I'm just not there yet and I won't suggest anything to my dear readers that I wouldn't do myself.

If anyone has experience with compost toilets and would like to provide reassurance that it won't draft us into service as permanent plumbers each time a family member uses it, please post below!

Water is life. It's vital to our survival. We must preserve it.