There are a ton of useless Facebook apps out there that require users to raise virtual pets, play farmer, become a member of the mafia, and generally just waste time. Now there’s an app that encourages good habits — conserving water. The app allows users to calculate their own personal water footprint, compare the results with friends, and then pledge to take steps to reduce their impact.
After answering a series of questions about your personal water habits, the calculator tabulates your responses and figures out your water footprint. You can then decide whether or not you want to share your water usage results with friends (though it looks like the app will show your results to your friends even if you don’t share it to your newsfeed). The app even suggests tips for saving water and asks you to make commitments to lower your number.
One problem I discovered with the app, though, is that I was not able to factor in certain water-saving steps my household takes and some of the questions were too general — for example, we water our garden daily, but it is a small 4′x4′ raised bed with just a handful of plants. Further, the calculator never asked what method we use to water our garden (i.e., hose, sprinkler, or watering can).
Although the calculator is not perfect, it does help raise awareness to our own water consumption and that of our friends. The app also pushes us to change our habits — taking shorter showers, reducing the amount of meat in our diets, air drying our laundry etc., and my pitting us against our friends it introduces some healthy competition in an attempt to encourage action.
So make constructive use of your Facebook time by taking the test and encourage your friends to do to do the same. Then let the positive peer pressure begin — share your results and push each other to reduce your impact.
