Electricity generation, particularly sourced from coal-fired or other fossil fuel s, contributes greatly to humanity’s carbon footprint.

Another major environmental issue is the scarcity of fresh water. Our water consumption levels are so high, it’s simply unsustainable. A USA meat-based diet requires around 1320 gallons of water per per person, per day when virtual water is taken into account.

While planet Earth has an abundance of water, most of it is not potable without treatment through processes such as desalination; which is an electricity intensive process, or other means.

Even without desalination, a great deal of electricity is used in just getting water to our taps. Pumping stations, filtering, waste water treatment – these all require electricity and a lot of it. For example, water transportation, storage, and treatment account for about 19 percent of California’s electricity,

According to a recent article in The Guardian, some of the most cost-effective carbon emission reduction strategies available are not energy-efficiency programs per se, but water-efficiency programs. A project in California that improved the efficiency of  irrigation pumps, saved 19.4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year between 2002 and 2005.

By saving water, we not only help preserve a precious resource that our lives depend on, we also help reduce our personal carbon dioxide emissions – and it’s not really all that hard to do. Pick up some general water saving tips and some ideas on saving water in the garden. Another way we can substantially reduce our water usage is by cutting meat consumption.