AUGUST CLIMATE CHALLENGE: WATER CONSERVATION
“In outer space, we look for life by searching for water, yet we have taken our own for granted. Earth is a planet brimming with water, yet less than 3 per cent of it is fresh and most of that is locked up in ice. Less than 1 per cent of the water on earth can be used as drinking water. There is nothing more precious than usable fresh water and nothing is shrinking faster as we overpopulate this big blue orb.” writes Jill Heinerth for Canadian Geographic on Why Water Conservation should be a Global Priority.
When we consider climate change and the next 30 years, we do not know exactly what will happen, but we know that one of the things climate change threatens is access to already precious clean water.
Even in Canada, where most of our population has good access to fresh water resources, many indigenous communities STILL live without this precious resource. We have a responsibility to each other to make sure the water resources we do have remain plentiful and clean. One of the easiest ways for us to do this is to simply use less of it. Remember, it costs a lot of energy to heat, treat, purify, and transport all of the water to come out of our taps - so conserving water is also conserving energy!
While our August Challenge revolves mostly around your showering, handwashing and toothbrushing habits, there really is no limit to how far you take your water conservation challenge. Here are a some more resources on the importance of conserving water and how you can do it:
Canadian Geographic: Why Water Conservation should be a Global Priority
BC Hydro 9 ways to conserve water
Canada Living 10 ways to conserve water.
GroundWater 100 ways to conserve water.