20 Jun 2012 The 40-Gallon Challenge

by Pearl Daniel

Do you know how much water you use every day? In many areas of the world, clean water is in short supply.

Conservation of this precious resource is important so that it will be available for future generations. You might be surprised to find out how much water is required for everyday activities around your home. Could you get by using less water for some of these activities?  

The 40-Gallon Challenge is a voluntary program designed to promote water conservation by taking a pledge to reduce daily water use by at least 40 gallons per person, per day. Participants fill out a pledge card that lists common indoor and outdoor water conservation practices. 

The number of gallons of water per day that you can expect to save by implementing these practices in your home is designated as the daily savings. Fill out the pledge card by selecting practices that you are willing to implement but that you do not already perform. Add up the daily savings to see the total number of gallons of water per day that you pledged to save. Be sure to designate the county that you live in.  

The pledges are tallied weekly and results are displayed on the website for number of pledges per capita by county and number of gallons pledged per county. The county that pledges to save the most will be awarded with a prize at the end of the year.  

Visit watersustainability.wordpress.com/40-Gallon-Challenge to take the pledge, view results, print o ut pledge cards, learn about home water conservation and more.

Pearl Daniel is a program technician with the U of A Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service.