Think water and global warming, and melting Arctic ice caps may come to mind. That may seem kind of far away, but the water you use at home does in fact have something to do with the melting poles. That’s because every time you heat up water for a bath or to wash the dishes, CO2 is released. So using less hot water means fewer CO2 emissions. Since the average American household expends about 14 percent of its energy usage on heating water, this week’s Slate Green Challenge with TreeHugger is designed to help you use hot water more efficiently, without asking you to resort to cold showers. (Though if you did do that, you’d save a bundle in carbon dioxide emissions.) Click on through to read this week's article and take the Green Challenge quiz. ::Green Challenge Water

What the heck is the Green Challenge anyway? Click here to find out.

Related in TreeHugger: Our guides for How to Go Green help you green up your act when it comes to your dishwasher and your water usage.

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