Water Footprint Calculator
Articles/Websites
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
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Provided by Water Footprint Calculator
What it is
- This interactive water footprint calculator asks a series of questions in order to calculate an estimated water footprint.
- Students will learn about how their personal and household choices impact their water footprint and how they can reduce their water usage.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This resource gives students a thorough understanding of how their water consumption impacts their footprint and includes plenty of strategies for minimizing their impact.
- Students will have plenty of opportunities for conversation and introspection before, during, and after answering the questions included in the survey.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should have prior knowledge of their household water use in order to answer the questions.
- Younger middle school students may need to consult with their families in order to use the resource successfully.
- Students will need access to the Internet to use this resource.
Differentiation
- Cross-curricular connections can be made in social studies classes discussing how water resources can and will impact communities and governments, or in science classes considering access to clean water, water reuse, or water usage by different industries and sectors that reduce the amount of water available to people and wildlife.
- For middle school students, completing this resource would make an excellent homework assignment. After completing the questions, students can come back together in class to discuss their footprints and how they can reduce them.
- High schoolers can likely complete the footprint calculator independently. Their at-home assignment could be educating and advocating for or implementing practices that will reduce their water usage at home.
From the scientist review
This is a water footprint calculator that computes individual and household water use and compares the value with the U.S. daily average of 1,802 gallons per day. The resource also contains tips and credible information on water conservation and management. On that account, this resource is recommended for teaching.
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Hosted on watercalculator.org
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