I recently traveled to California for work, and I was struck by what people in the state are and are not doing to conserve water.  California is facing one of the worst droughts in recorded history; the situation is so bad that the governor of California declared a state of emergency earlier this year.  Individuals, government agencies, and industry alike have been called on to lower water usage and prevent water waste.  While it’s clear that some action is being taken, it’s not at all apparent if the steps towards water conservation will be enough.

Throughout the trip, I saw numerous signs reminding people of the drought and telling them not to water their lawns or outside plants.  I also saw people forgoing car washes and saving shower water (gray water) to flush their toilets.  The hotel that I stayed at had little signs encouraging people to use their sheets and towels for multiple nights to avoid excess washing and water usage.

What I didn’t hear anyone talking about was food choices, which was disappointing given that a huge portion of California’s water goes to its expansive agricultural lands and that many think the restrictions placed on farmers’ water usage have been extremely mild compared to those for other sectors.  California seems to grow almost anything you can imagine, and its grocery stores are overflowing with dirt cheap dairy, meat, and produce; unfortunately, there has been only a little attention paid to the fact that this subsidized, over-irrigated agricultural system is environmentally and economically unsustainable.

So why am I writing about California in a blog that supposed to be about green living in Minnesota?  Well, looking at how much some Californians are doing to try to conserve water, and how much still needs to be done in order to really make a difference, I began to realize that there is much more that I can do right here in Minnesota to conserve water.  Water conservation isn’t usually high on people’s environmental priority list in this state, where we have 10,000 lakes and frequent summer thunderstorms.  But in light of our own recent dry spells and the inevitability of climate change, it stands to reason that water will not always be the abundant resource many of us view it as.

As a result, I am determined to work harder to conserve water in my own life.  There are some things that I already do that I will continue.  I don’t eat meat, and I eat only a little dairy.  I never use car washes, and I always do full loads of laundry.  As an apartment dweller, I don’t have control over lawn and garden choices, but I do have faucet aerators in my apartment and I take short showers.  When my bathroom faucet started to drip recently, I put a bowl in the sink to save the water for my plants until my landlord could fix it.  These things are a good start, but I want to do better.  I’m going to try to avoid plant-based foods that require large amounts of water to grow (like almonds).  I’m also going to be more cognizant and careful when I cook, as well as when I wash my dishes.

I hope that you will also take a look at your water consumption habitats and identify areas where you can make a change.  Check out Do It Green! Minnesota’s Home Water Audit Checklist if you want more tips for saving water.