I'm having a little difficulty with the concept of wasting water. I hear about it more and more but perhaps someone could help me understand the step where the water is wasted. The following is my understanding of how water is used, feel free to correct me if someone can.
Step 1 : Water comes out of ground/out of lake
Step 2 : Water is momentarilly sequestered in beer/sink/plumbing appliance/bladder
Step 3 : Water is returned to ground/lake
I get how energy is consumed in the process, but the water doesn't really seem to go anywhere. Perhaps I'm just getting a little testy because the media is now on a kick telling me that one pound of beef or one cotton t-shirt 'consumes' x amount of water, but can't seem to grasp the concept of the water cycle.
Sorry if this is went a little off topic, but in response to the OP, using the water (and heat) from the cooler in a second process in your home (ie laundry) is a good idea. It helps to save energy and money, but i wouldn't worry about the water, it will be fine regardless.