world water day

Monday is World Water Day. I'm honoring the day by watching Flow, participating in a World Water Day Webinar (organized by New American Dream), and sponsoring a friend in the Tap Project Water Walk (Sunday 3/22 in Battery Park).

What would life be like without fresh water?

I learned this weekend while in a workshop on permaculture (led by Jude Hobbs) that if 1 gallon of water represented all of the fresh (non-salt) water on the planet, only 1 teaspoon of that would be potable. I also learned that people don't own the water they use, municipalities and corporations do. Here are some more eye-opening facts:

• 1.5 billion people worldwide don't have access to safe drinking water
• 3.6 million people die each year from water-related disease
• 43% of water-related deaths are due to diarrhea
• 84% of water-related deaths are in children ages 0 - 14

[References: gemi.org, water.org]

Water is one of our most precious resources. Civilization sprang from water-wealthy lands. Water is the source of life and life on earth cannot be supported without it.


What can you do to conserve water?

• Take short showers (or shower with a friend!)
• Make sure you have a low-flow shower head
  
• While you're waiting for shower water to warm, catch the water in a bucket and use it to water plants or hand wash clothes
• Let the laundry pile up - only wash full loads
• Don't let the water run while you brush your teeth or wash your hands
  
• Use the dishwasher (no pre-rinsing necessary!) or find creative ways to conserve when hand washing dishes (like using a tub or bucket)
• If you have a garden, water at night or early in the morning to optimize absorption and prevent evaporation
• Implement grey water or rain catchment systems for gardening
  
• It's likely that any new product (and the packaging) you purchase required water in its manufacturing - buying less or buying used conserves not just water but many other resources as well

Find more ways to conserve water


Selected water-related reading


The Water Atlas: A Unique Visual Analysis of the
World's Most Critical Resource by Robin Clarke and Jannet King


Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit by Vandana Shiva


Water Consciousness by Tara Lohan (Editor)


Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the
Coming Battle for the Right to Water by Maude Barlow


Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and
Why We Bought It by Elizabeth Royte



When the Rivers Run Dry: Water -- The Defining
Crisis of the Twenty-first Century by Fred Pearce