GEF

Unit 1  |  Why Water Matters 23 As a result, people built towns and cities and maintained high-water lifestyles in regions that are naturally water-poor. A well-known example is the desert city of Las Vegas, Nevada, where 70 percent of water use is for non-essential landscaping. Several mega-hotels feature elaborate lagoons, fountains, and even mock Venetian canals complete with gondolas. Despite the excessive hotel water use, the real culprit in Las Vegas has been lawns. Las Vegas has recently emerged as a leader in water conservation by paying homeowners directly to remove grass and replace lawns with gravel or desert vegeta- tion. Driven by necessity, other cities are beginning to follow Las Vegas’ example of forward-thinking water conservation. Replacing green lawns with desert plants is one way to reduce water use. In the developed world, one factor that presents a challenge in water sustainability is that the vast majority of water consump- tion is hidden from view. It is easy to see direct uses of water such as drinking, bathing, and watering lawns. But that is only a small part of our water footprint —the total volume of water needed to supply goods and services. The bulk of our water footprint results from agriculture, energy generation, and manufacturing, rather than domestic use. WATER FOOTPRINT The total amount of fresh water used to produce or supply goods and services.