Water Week: April 2nd - April 8th
The growing world water crisis
Why is water so important?
Water is a fundamental resource for human life. At the most basic level, water serves as the most crucial component to maintaining life. Roughly 65% of the human body is water, and that water constantly needs to be replenished, making it a critical need for every individual. You can go three weeks without eating a bite of food, but you can only go three days without water. [5]
But water's uses go far beyond drinking - it is also essential for agriculture, fisheries, cooking, bathing and proper santitation, energy production, dying clothing, and a myriad of other uses.
Often, in the developed world, we take water and its many uses for granted. But its critically important to remember that not everyone has the same access to water, and it may not be long before we don't either.
What is water scarcity?
Water scarcity is the lack of sufficient water resources to meet a region’s demand, whether through quantity, quality, or both. Currently, almost a fifth of the world’s population lives in areas where water is physically scarce. [7] Shockingly, 780 million people across the planet lack access to clean water – that’s 2.5 times the population of the United States! [6] Because of this scarcity, more than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. Nearly all of those deaths (99%) occur in the developing world. [6]
Unfortunately, the UN states that this situation will only get worse, as it predicts nearly 50% of the world's population will be in areas of high water stress by 2030. [8]
Combatting water scarcity
Solving the world water crisis will be one of the world's greatest challenges throughout the next century. And like other issues, the solution starts from the bottom up! People need to be more conscious of their water use, and make decisions that will positively impact the situation rather than hurt it.
[1] http://fi.edu/guide/schutte/howmuch.html
[2] http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256
[3] http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/embedded-water/
[4] http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/water-conservation-tips/
[5] http://www.livescience.com/32320-how-long-can-a-person-survive-without-water.html
[6] http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/
[7] http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/water/en/
[8] http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml
Actions to Save Water:
1. I will only spend five minutes or less in the shower, and I will turn the water off when I shampoo!
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The average shower head uses 7 gallons of water per minute [1]. A 10 minute shower uses 70 gallons of water.
By shorthening that to five minutes, you save about 35 gallons of water! According to the Institute of Medicine's
calculations, that's enough water to fuel a grown man for nearly 45 days! [2]
2. I will not run the water while I brush my teeth or shave!
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A running faucet uses 3 gallons of water per minute. That's just water going straight down the drain! [1]
3. I will only run the laundry machine if I have a full load of clothes!
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The average laundry machine uses 40-55 gallons of water per load. Make the best use of that water and fill the laundry machine before you run it. [1]
4. I will not drink coffee this week!
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Each cup of coffee take 37 gallons of water to produce. If every person in the world drank one cup of coffee each morning, it would use about 32 trillion gallons of water each year. [3]
6. I will watch one of the following documentaries:
A documentary that shows numerous worldwide examples of people fighting for their basic right to water, from court cases to violent revolutions to U.N. conventions to revised constitutions to local protests at grade schools.
An award winning documentary that goes beyond identifying the problem, FLOW also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround.
5. I will check my faucets, showerheads, and toilets for leaks and call 4-WORK (301-314-9675) or my landlord if repairs are needed.
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On average, 10 gallons per day of your water footprint (or 14% of your indoor use) is lost to leaks. Short of installing new water-efficient fixtures, one of the easiest, most effective ways to cut your footprint is to repair leaky faucets and toilets. [4]
