Given that water is the single most important resource on the planet, it’s only logical that the global scientific community observes its consumption rate at all times. Whether we’re using it more than we should or whether we’re polluting it faster than we expected, the fact is that only 2.5% of our globe’s water surface is drinkable.
With that perspective, we’re clearly using more water than we should, so we ought to talk about means and ways you can contribute to flattening the curve.
Nearly half of freshwater is trapped within glaciers
The statistics regarding freshwater have been scary for centuries now. Namely, more than half of the Earth’s surface is water, but only a tiny percentage of it is actually fresh. What’s more, more than ninety percent of freshwater is not accessible.
Sweetwater rivers comprise a tiny portion of the world’s supply of drinkable water while the majority of it lies trapped under ice and glaciers.
Regions where extreme climates are commonplace either suffer from draughts or solidified water surfaces that require months (and very specific machinery and gadgets) to actually transform it into drinking fresh water.
How can I contribute?
While there are numerous charity events and causes that are doing their best to help the most heavily afflicted areas and countries, the best way an individual can help is to correct their own water consumption habits.
We waste fresh water in more ways than one, and pinpointing these habits may be a bit harder than expected as they’ve merged with our current lifestyle. Be that as it may, here are a few suggestions that can make a sustainable impact, no matter how small:
Start using water filters
Most people are reluctant to drink tap water, and rightly so. Namely, the vast majority of countries across the world have subpar water-cleansing facilities which aren’t capable of completely purifying the contaminants and pollutants.
Even in the ideal scenario where these facilities could do a thorough job, the faucets and pipework in our homes are prone to rust and oxidation. Small bits of debris are bound to end up in our cups, which aren’t visible to the naked eye.
Furthermore, these tiny pollutants impact our health slowly, but steadily. Stomach aches, fatigue, headaches, and in more severe cases lead poisoning are just some of the side effects that can occur this way.
Knowing this, most people buy bottled water and use their tap water for pretty much everything else, such as showering, cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning. Ultimately, these alternative uses of tap water are wasteful, as even this ‘dirty’ water can still be used for drinking should you start using a filter.
Water filters come in a variety of shapes and can have multiple functionalities, but their intended use is always the same. Filters normally release the activated carbon that attracts and traps pollutants; chlorine is later used to cleanse these compounds, which is finally dispersed through the filter’s refining mechanism.
Consider Aquagear Water Filter
Since there are hundreds of water filter companies and models, you may be puzzled in regard to which work and which don’t. A good example of a quality filter that combines convenience with efficiency is Aquagear’s Water Filter Pitcher.
Essentially, it’s a pitcher equipped with a superior built-in filter that excels at removing contaminants. In fact, it was designed for use with the most polluted wastewater; it’s capable of purifying almost any liquid into clear H20 rapidly and efficiently.
Other notable benefits of giving it a shot include its affordability and the fact that a portion of the proceeds is to be donated to Aquagear charity trust funds.
Check your home facilities
Basically, drops of water are constantly dipping in pretty much every home around the world. Even though it could take a full day for a single facility to waste a liter of water (in most cases the numbers are dramatically higher), that would essentially mean that just a single family would waste 365 liters of water a year.
Fix your toilet
You should start with your toilet. Check the tank’s flushing mechanism to see if the water continues flowing even after you’ve released the handle/button. The flushing mechanism releases huge amounts of water under high pressure, so even if it persists for a mere few seconds, you’re facing a leak.
Fix the pipework
If the tank is properly filled and the mechanism working as intended, the second thing you should check is the pipework. The water in your toilet is supposed to be at a certain level at all times; if the level is either raising or falling, the pipes are probably clogged.
Clogged pipework is creating a series of other problems down the line, creating leaks underneath your home (or even in the sewage line), which again means that quite a bit of water is going to waste.
Improve your water consumption economy
This doesn’t mean ‘take showers less frequently’; rather it means taking less time to wrap things up, and especially pay attention not to keep the water running at full blast.
Quite a few people keep the tap running while they’re washing their teeth or while they’re scrubbing their dishes. Again, the amount of water that goes to waste this way may not even rack up to a single liter, but these are things that we do at least once a day.
Refrain from using auto-washing machines more than once per week
Automatic machines consume a massive amount of water per cycle. Even though they significantly simplify the dish-washing process, their wasteful impact is substantially higher than any other in this field.
Given that most modern families rely on this device in today’s times, you should try using it only when you absolutely need to. Fill it to the brim with dirty dishes instead of using it whenever you don’t feel like scrubbing a few plates. More advanced machines feature controllable water output and can be used more liberally. We hope that this guide was useful to you and that you’ve learned something new about the current state of the world and nature. Make sure you are staying safe in these times we are all going through and have a good one, guys!