Preserving a Precious Resource: Water

March 22 is World Water Day, and this year marks the middle of the United Nations Decade of Water for Life  (2005 – 2015). In honor of this occasion, our family decided to look into how important water is in our lives.

Water covers almost two thirds of our planet. Most water is found in the oceans (97.2%), with 2.1% in frozen ice caps and glaciers. A mere 0.7% of water is in the rivers, lakes and groundwater that we rely on as freshwater and that freshwater is not evenly distributed around the world: Some countries get more than enough water, other countries are parched, suffering from water scarcity and its resulting challenges, and some countries have an abundance of water at one time of the year but suffer from scarcity of water at other times of the year.

Photo courtesy: Pat Hawks

We rely on water for a wide range of human activities. Not only do we drink water but we use it for irrigating our crops, caring for our pets and livestock, transporting our goods, adding to our manufacturing processes, bathing and washing, providing energy and fuel (for example, hydroelectricity dams), fighting fires, beautifying our personal landscapes, and more. Water is a vital resource for human existence and yet, the availability of water and its cleanliness are compromised in many parts of the world.

Freshwater shortages are, unfortunately, commonplace. Drinking water supplies are threatened by increasing populations and many urban centers of the world are struggling to meet the infrastructure needs required to deliver clean water to the population. Drought (exacerbated by the impacts of climate change) is causing many parts of the world to suffer from severe water shortages; many cities are now rationing water supplies (for example, Mexico City had to cut off the water supply to hundreds of thousands of people five times during 2009 because rainfall levels were so low). It is a sobering fact that almost fifty percent of the developing world's population (2.5 billion people) do not have access to improved sanitation facilities; in addition, over 884 million people get their drinking water from unsafe water sources (UNICEF).  Polluted water is a problem in most parts of the world, from rivers filled with the tailings from mining operations to local lakes that have served as a dumping ground for toxic waste from local companies. Pollution of freshwater destroys the wildlife of rivers, lakes and streams, and compromises and threatens the health and spiritual well-being of people.

At home, saving water is, in the first place, a matter of recognizing that water is a precious resource despite it being “on tap”. As a family, we sat down and had a talk about how we save water and what more we can do. We already turn off the tap when we brush our teeth, we fix dripping appliances quickly, we don't use sprinklers or have a water-hungry lawn, and we wash the car using a bucket instead of a running hose. Could we do more? We thought yes, and we’d like to share the possibilities with you:

1. Research more about the water cycle, the uses of water and the importance of water. Understanding the bigger picture is often a great motivator for children. Jen Green’s book Why Should I Save Water? (ISBN 0-7641-3157-5) is great to read with kids ages 3-10, and Trevor Day’s book Water is a fantastic overview of all things water, suitable for kids aged 8 to teens (it’s also great for adults!) (ISBN 978-0-7566-2562-7).
2. Avoid purchasing bottled water. Municipalities have an important role in ensuring the provision of clean, healthy water to all of us as a basic right. We try to remember to take our durable, long-lasting water bottle with us on trips and ask for tap water refills wherever we go. It's always a good excuse for a yarn about local water quality with the residents! (See also Richard Metzger’s great post on The Story of Bottled Water.)
3. Monitor water usage as a family. This is a fun exercise you can do at home, courtesy of Jen Green’s book Why Should I Save Water?.  Create a chart for: Shower/bath; Dishwashing; Washing Clothes; Car Washing; Toilet Flushing; Gardening; Other Water Usage. One bucket is about 3 gallons or 10 liters of water, a shower or hand washing dishes uses about 4 gallons or 15 liters of water, using the dishwasher uses about 8 gallons or 30 liters, a bath uses about 16–26.5 gallons or 60–30 liters and a washing machine uses about 32 gallons or 120 liters. Knowing all this, ask children to record daily water usage by bucket in the home for one week. At the end of the week, tally up the buckets and see what your overall water usage is. Think about how your family can start to reduce this usage through these water saving ideas:

• Wash fuller loads of washing and dishes using energy efficient appliances
• Turn off the tap or faucet when brushing your teeth
• Avoid rinsing or washing dishes under running water
• Water plants only when they need watering; don’t over-water (this is also important for the health of the plants!)
• Wash your car with a bucket and sponge rather than with a hose; wash the car over lawn (the lawn gets watered)
• Limit shower length and use water-saving nozzles, reduce the frequency of baths and have young children share bathwater rather than filling the tub several times
• Consider having a gray water system installed in your home; while it’s a big investment, it has many water-saving benefits
• Fix leaking faucets and pipes quickly
• Pour cooled down vegetable cooking water on your plants; it's full of nutrients
• Ask your children to come up with their own suggestions.

MiniMonos is helping to ensure that clean, healthy water reaches those who most need it. Through its membership of Buy1Give1, MiniMonos provides clean drinking water to children in India through Bird India. But it doesn’t stop there: MiniMonos helps you and your child contribute a week’s worth of clean drinking water for a child in India through the purchase of every six month Top Banana Gold membership too! It is a terrific way to be involved directly in making a difference. And finally, let us know about your water-saving efforts; we're keen to learn about what you're doing to reduce the buckets of water your household uses!