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While ExxonMobil continues to set quarterly records through prices at the pump, most Americans are scrambling to figure out how to create a sustainable lifestyle that will weather an economy on the verge of a genuine recession. Though gas prices seem to be headed down for the moment, we should continue to develop sustainable lifestyles.

David Wann has some easy suggestions in his book, Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle. This book goes beyond suggestions about how to save money and lays out what a true sustainable lifestyle can look and feel like. It is one part idealistic and two parts practical. For Wann, heaping those ingredients into the pot of life produces one deliciously sustainable lifestyle.

Here are some of Wann’s interesting thoughts—and tips—about water and how to conserve it:

"While each American drinks a daily four to ten glasses of water and other beverages, the amount of water our food “drinks” in the fields and processing plants is more like 2,000 gallons a day. About an equal amount is used in the United States by the power industry to cool natural gas turbines as well as nuclear cooling towers. (In the broiling summer of 2006, nuclear plants in both the United States and Europe were forced to shut down because cooling water from ponds and rivers wasn’t cool enough to ensure safety.) So really, the best ways to conserve water are to pay attention to what we eat, and to use energy efficiently. It’s also very important to use water-efficient fixtures in the home, and landscaping that minimizes water use. The 100 gallons a day that we each use in our homes can easily be cut by a third to a half by substituting efficient conveyances—in the form of well-designed fixtures, showerheads, toilets, and aerators—for resources. The need for water will only get stronger, since the global populations continue to expand, but the amount of fresh water remains exactly the same."