Water Footprint Calculator: Interactive tool to calculate how much water you and your family use - and ideas on how to conserve. Plus - teaching tools for educators.

To raise awareness about how people in the United States use water throughout their day, GRACE Communications Foundation (GRACE) – a non-profit dedicated to creating a more sustainable food system – developed its Water Footprint Calculator. The free tool illustrates how everyday actions – from washing dishes to watering the lawn to buying groceries – impact water use. 

NOTE: Although this calculator is about the US, Canadians can learn a lot about their water usage, as part of North America, and close neighbours to the United States. Much of Canada's food supply is linked to the US.  

Our virtual water use – the water it takes to grow our food, make electricity and manufacture home goods – is by far the biggest part of our water footprint, and, as users quickly find out, our diet accounts for most of it. Sustainable Table, a program of GRACE, illustrates the many impacts that food and agriculture have not only water, but on other aspects of our environment as well as our communities. Sustainable Table provides information on reducing our impacts by supporting sustainable agriculture by offering issue pages, tools tips and blog posts.

How the Water Footprint Calculator Works

Through a series of simple questions about daily routines, this innovative and engaging calculator accounts for not only the water we use from the tap, but also the water it takes to produce the food we eat, the energy we use and the products we buy. Created with a dynamic and adaptive interface, the calculator functions seamlessly on mobile, tablets and desktop computers. Other features include customized results, interactive graphics and the ability for users to change their answers and “play” with their results.

As part of the package, links to over 100 water-saving tips are offered to help users lower their water footprint. (One of the best ways to shrink your water footprint: Eat less meat and choose pasture-raised meat to support farmers who don’t rely largely on feed grains irrigated with limited groundwater or surface water supplies.)

Technical questions about the calculator can be answered with a detailed 30-page methodology.

The daily choices we make to waste less water today, whether directly through the tap or virtually through our food, energy and shopping habits, can help us make sure that there’s enough for all of us now and in the future.

Since launching, the Water Footprint Calculator has helped hundreds of thousands of people learn about the water they use each day and empowered them to save water. Today, we’re excited to announce the release of our updated Water Footprint Calculator site! In addition to our award-winning calculator, the new site includes:
• In-depth articles on water topics
• Information on the connections between food and water
• Tools and resources for educators
• Plus over 100 water-saving tips

We invite you to explore the free, new site at WaterCalculator.org and learn more about how we use water!

Link to Sustainable Table information here

Check out GRACE Communications Foundation here -see the variety of information publications