What is Your Water Footprint? | Laurina Lyle | TEDxClarksville

The Water Educator

• A water educator has spent their career teaching people about water and its importance, often using props to illustrate key points (11s).
• The educator enjoys camping in the wilderness, particularly in areas like Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, where they can connect with nature and get away from the complications of daily life (42s).
• When camping, the educator and their husband have to be mindful of their water usage, as their camper only holds 30 gallons of water, compared to the average American's daily usage of 80-100 gallons (2m47s).

Water's Importance and Scarcity

• Water is a precious and essential element that allows life to exist on Earth, and without it, the planet would be a desolate wasteland (3m30s).
• The Earth is 71% water, but 96% of it is contained in ocean basins, leaving only a small percentage available for consumption by life on Earth (4m20s).
• The available freshwater is equivalent to half a teaspoon in a gallon jug, highlighting the need for conservation (5m9s).

Understanding Your Water Footprint

• Knowing one's water footprint is crucial for understanding how to conserve water, which is used both directly and indirectly in daily life (5m16s).
• Direct water usage can be measured through water bills, but there is also "hidden water" used in everything people do, buy, and eat (5m55s).
• Indirect water use refers to the water required to produce goods and services, such as clothing and food, rather than just the water people drink or consume directly (6m13s).
• A cotton dress requires around 10,000 gallons of water to produce, while a pair of leather shoes requires about 2,000 gallons (6m39s).
• The total water footprint of a single outfit can be substantial, with one example outfit requiring around 12,000 gallons of water, enough to fill a small swimming pool (7m12s).
• Food also has a significant water footprint, with examples including 3.5 gallons of water required to grow a head of lettuce, 3 gallons for a tomato, 1 gallon for an almond, and 900 gallons for an 8 oz cut of steak (8m7s).
• Other products, such as a cell phone (3,000 gallons) and a candy bar (1,700 gallons), also require significant amounts of water to produce (9m8s).

The Global Water Crisis

• The global water cycle is being disrupted due to rising temperatures, leading to unpredictable weather patterns and a need for solutions to address the resulting water crisis (10m18s).
• % of the global population lacks access to a reliable source of water, and the UN has begun referring to climate change as a water crisis due to its disproportionate impact on the poorest and most marginalized communities (10m52s).
• The problem of water scarcity is looming, and solutions must be implemented quickly to address the issue (11m45s).

Solutions to the Water Crisis

• One proposed solution is to repair and recover aging water infrastructure, which is around 50 years old and losing 322 billion gallons of water per day (12m30s).
• The United States population has doubled since 1970, and the federal government has allocated $555 billion to replace the country's aging water infrastructure, which includes 2 million miles of pipes and 16,000 dams, with 6,000 of them categorized as dangerous and in jeopardy of failing (13m26s).
• Agriculture is the biggest water user, drawing down about 37% of the water, and the country will likely experience a construction zone-like environment while the infrastructure is being replaced (13m55s).
• Practicing water conservation is crucial, and individuals can make a difference by making conscious decisions about their direct and indirect water usage (14m46s).

Water Conservation Practices

• One way to conserve water is to plant native plants and grasses on one's property, which can help stabilize the environment, increase biodiversity, control flooding, and recharge groundwater (15m41s).
• Food and water are closely linked, and food waste is a significant issue, with about a fifth of the food grown in the United States going uneaten (16m50s).
• The EPA has identified reducing food waste as the number one action individuals can take to lower their carbon emissions and respond to climate change (17m21s).
• The city of San Diego implemented a water conservation program, which included teaching people about water conservation and encouraging them to plant native plants, and as a result, they not only saved water but also reduced their energy consumption by 20% (17m51s).
• The relationship between water and energy is significant, as it takes energy to deliver water, with each gallon weighing 8.34 pounds, and the country moves 322 billion gallons of water every day (18m59s).
• Reducing water waste can help meet emission deadlines in response to a changing climate, and one simple step is to not put food waste in the garbage can, as it turns into a toxic substance called leachate in landfills, which is difficult to purify and can result in lost water (19m37s).

Food Waste and Water Conservation

• Food and water are closely linked, and food waste is a significant issue, with about a fifth of the food grown in the United States going uneaten (16m50s).
• The EPA has identified reducing food waste as the number one action individuals can take to lower their carbon emissions and respond to climate change (17m21s).
• The city of San Diego implemented a water conservation program, which included teaching people about water conservation and encouraging them to plant native plants, and as a result, they not only saved water but also reduced their energy consumption by 20% (17m51s).
• The relationship between water and energy is significant, as it takes energy to deliver water, with each gallon weighing 8.34 pounds, and the country moves 322 billion gallons of water every day (18m59s).
• Reducing water waste can help meet emission deadlines in response to a changing climate, and one simple step is to not put food waste in the garbage can, as it turns into a toxic substance called leachate in landfills, which is difficult to purify and can result in lost water (19m37s).
• Instead of throwing away food waste, it can be composted using a backyard composter or a countertop composter, which costs around the same as a high-end vacuum cleaner (20m14s).
• Another option is to use a garbage disposal to send food waste to a wastewater treatment plant where it will be properly treated, and the water in the food will be returned to the water cycle (20m44s).

Addressing Water Needs: A Proverb and Current Actions

• There is an ancient Japanese proverb that says, "When you're dying of thirst, it's too late to dig a well," highlighting the importance of addressing water needs before it's too late (21m9s).
• Cities and communities across the country are adopting action plans to address their water infrastructure and needs, especially in areas like the southwest that are experiencing drought (21m19s).
• Addressing water footprint also has the added benefit of addressing carbon footprint, as saving water is equivalent to saving carbon emissions (21m51s).