Friends and neighbors can influence decisions about watering your lawn, new research shows.
Water scarcity is a national and global issue. Domestic water demand grew more than 600% from 1960 to 2014. About 75% of US residential water is used outdoors, with more than half of it going to landscape irrigation.
So, it’s crucial to conserve water, especially in residential irrigation. The findings of the new study in the journal
Urban Forestry and Urban Greening reveal how what others do and what others expect of us influence our actions.
In other words, we take our lead from people beyond our significant other and our friends—even with issues such as irrigation. Laura Warner, an associate professor of agricultural education and communication at the University of Florida, believes the new data can help people lower their water use.