Wow, did Samuel Taylor Coleridge ever have it right. Less than 1% of the Earth’s water is fresh, the rest is salty,
frozen or we’ve polluted it beyond repair.That’s why taking care of the water we DO have is so ridiculously important.
Today is World Water Day, a day to pay attention to our relationship with water, what we’re doing to it, what it does for us, and how to respect it. One of the easiest and most effective things you can do today and everyday is SAVE water.
Things You Can Do
- Don’t buy bottled water – it takes 3 times more water to make the bottle than it does to fill it.
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth – the average faucet runs at 2.5 gallons a minute.
- If it’s yellow, let it mellow. You laugh but we’re serious. Depending on your toilet your flush could use 1.6 to 7 gallons of water per flush!
- Get a rain barrel – Use the rainwater to water your plants, rinse your car, etc. And rain is free ????
- Skip one shower a week – a shower of 8 minutes uses 18 gallons of water. That’s some respectable savings right there.
- Step away from plastic – It takes 24 gallons of water produce one pound of plastic. Yikes.
- Turn off the lights – yep you read that right. Water is used to cool the plants where electricity is generated so the more power used, the more water is required for cooling.
It’s easy to take water for granted, forget where it comes from, where it goes and that we humans have an impact so big it’s hard to comprehend. But that’s why we have today! Check out these great resources to remind yourself of your relationship with water.
The Story of Bottled Water video
Happy World Water Day!
