Rowland 
Many people know and understand what the carbon footprint is. Most people do not know that we all have a water footprint as well. Water footprint refers to the amount of water consumed or polluted in proportion to the amount of freshwater we have on the planet. Reducing your water footprint, therefore, means reducing the amount of freshwater you consume.
Save Some Water
To save water, you should start by finding areas in your life where you are wasting water and making better use of it. For example, a lot of people leave the water running while they brush their teeth. All that water is wasted and could have been saved if we turned off the faucet when brushing our teeth. Another good example is leaving the shower running while we wait for the water to get hot. Placing a bucket in the shower to catch the cold water is a good way of ensuring this water is not wasted. This water is often clean enough for other uses like mopping the house or washing the car.
Filter the Right Amount of Water
If you use a filtration system at home, it is easy to leave it running for too long. If you do this, you might collect more water than you need, which leads to wastage. If filtered water is left in the tank for too long, contaminants get into water, make it unsafe to drink, and introduce odors and tastes that might force you to get rid of that whole batch of water. To ensure this does not happen, always filter just enough water for your needs and ensure your collection tanks are clean and water filters are working right.
Reduce Water Wasted Through Cleaning
We all want clean homes, but if you want to save water, you might have to make some changes to how and how often you clean your home. The advocacy here is to not live in a filthy home but rather to make a few changes to reduce the frequency of cleaning. For example, leaving the shoes outside means you do not track dirt into the house and therefore need to clean less often.
Another way to save water is to only clean the clothes when you absolutely have to and to take shorter showers.
Consider New Appliances
While new appliances can be expensive, their upfront cost will be justified in the long-run. A good place to start is in the kitchen where you can opt for a smaller or even double-drawer dishwasher. The smaller dishwasher ensures you can wash smaller batches without wasting too much water. The two drawers of the double-drawer dishwasher use less than 2 gallons of water and work independently. This way, they save water, detergent, and energy.
Another appliance that consumes a lot of water is the washer. Most families do about 300 loads a year, which accounts for up to 20% of all the water used in a typical household. If you want to switch to a model that saves water, consider a modern, high-efficiency, front-loading washer. These washers have been shown to save up to 40% of the amount of water used in one wash cycle.
Due to the water scarcity that is predicted to hit the world in the coming decades, it is imperative that we all take steps to reduce our water footprints right now to ensure we have enough in the future.
