Conserve energy. Most people in the US get their electricity from power companies that use hydroelectric and thermoelectric power (from coal, natural gas, nuclear fuels, etc.), both of which have large water footprints. The portion of a person’s water footprint attributed to power production in the US is, on average, 39 gallons per person per day.

Conserve water. It takes a lot of energy to pump, heat, treat and move water, so if you use less water, you’ll use less energy, and that will lower your water footprint.

Turn off your video. Internet use can suck up electricity, and our increasing reliance on video conference calls is drastically increasing our energy and water use. If you can, turn off your video feed and reduce your quality (or resolution) setting and you’ll use a lot less energy during your call.

Learn more about the water in your energy.

Make your home as energy efficient as possible to reduce the amount of electricity – and by extension water – it takes to run your household.

Install on-site renewable electricity from solar panels (or wind turbines) if you can. Renewable energy is not only cleaner, but it uses less water, too!

Choose an ENERGY STAR model if you’re in the market for a new appliance. They perform like conventional appliances but use much less energy and water.

Save water (and energy!) with WaterSense low-flow products in your home and yard. These include everything from showerheads to sprinkler systems.

Install power strips and plug all of your electrical equipment into them. Turn off the power strips when the items aren’t in use and you’ll stop “vampire loads” from sucking up energy and increasing your water footprint.

Use hot water only when you really need to. After heating and cooling, water heating is the biggest energy user in the home. Water- and energy-efficient appliances conserve hot water in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry.

Install solar hot water heaters if you can. You could significantly reduce the energy used to heat water in your home.