It's World Water Day!!
Water is one of the aspects of our planet that I am most passionate about and since it's World Water Day, I just had to write something. We all know that the Earth is composed of about 70% water, but did you know that only about 1% of it is available as freshwater for our use? Unfortunately, nearly 1 billion people lack access to healthy water, yet we still waste water and damage our freshwater sources with pollutants. Demand for water is increasing significantly with continued population growth, so now is the time to take action to protect our water sources. Visit The Nature Conservancy and World Water Day.org to find out more about World Water Day and what you can do to help.
Here are some basic things you can do (in case you don't make it to the websites): Install low-flow shower heads and aerators; always turn off the water while brushing teeth (make sure the kiddies do too); and take showers instead of baths (quick ones!) We have done all of the above, but DH's shower times are still an issue - I'm working on it though! We have also filled large juice bottles (like Ocean Spray jugs) with water and put them in the toilet tanks to reduce how much water we use to flush. I'm also hoping that this summer we will be able to get a rain barrel to water our lawn instead of using public water. If you are planning to landscape your yard, please choose plants that are native to your region and that consume less water to stay healthy. Also, please be mindful of what you use on your lawn. Those chemical fertilizers and herbicides that make suburban lawns so lush and green can be very toxic. The residues can run off into streams and rivers or seep into soil and pollute the underlying groundwater. These contaminants also reduce oxygen levels which can kill fish and other wildlife, accumulate in the tissue of the fish we catch and eat from the lakes and reduce the beauty of the water.
So, lets make some small changes so that EVERYONE can have access to safe, clean water. Happy World Water Day!
Here are some basic things you can do (in case you don't make it to the websites): Install low-flow shower heads and aerators; always turn off the water while brushing teeth (make sure the kiddies do too); and take showers instead of baths (quick ones!) We have done all of the above, but DH's shower times are still an issue - I'm working on it though! We have also filled large juice bottles (like Ocean Spray jugs) with water and put them in the toilet tanks to reduce how much water we use to flush. I'm also hoping that this summer we will be able to get a rain barrel to water our lawn instead of using public water. If you are planning to landscape your yard, please choose plants that are native to your region and that consume less water to stay healthy. Also, please be mindful of what you use on your lawn. Those chemical fertilizers and herbicides that make suburban lawns so lush and green can be very toxic. The residues can run off into streams and rivers or seep into soil and pollute the underlying groundwater. These contaminants also reduce oxygen levels which can kill fish and other wildlife, accumulate in the tissue of the fish we catch and eat from the lakes and reduce the beauty of the water.
So, lets make some small changes so that EVERYONE can have access to safe, clean water. Happy World Water Day!
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