What is Your Water Footprint? — Wellness Wire

Most of us have heard of “carbon footprint,” and have read articles helping you assess what your carbon footprint – how much petroleum you use each year—is, but what about your water footprint?  You can now find out what your water footprint is online. The basis for the water footprint concept and methodology has been established by Professor Arjen Hoekstra at UNESCO-IHE and further developed at the University of Twente,in  the Netherlands. The concept and methods are adapted from all available science on the subject.  What compiles your water footprint? According to the Water Footprint Network, “People use lots of water for drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes, etc. The water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business.”