UN World Water Day 2012

“The World is Thirsty Because We Are Hungry!”

That’s a mouthful! Or maybe it isn’t. What does it mean? What does it have to do with today? Well, March 22 is World Water Day. Water is the most precious resource we have on Earth, it is essential to our survival, and we are essential to its well-being and its very existence.

I’ll save you hours of Google research and break down this year’s World Water Day campaign issues and goals into a few simple and bite-sized pieces. (Yes I am using food related puns here to keep you on your toes.) I’ll then empower you with knowledge and tips which you can easily feed into your life moving forward.  You can even help to change the world. You know like icing on a cake! How’s that for a four-course meal?

First take a moment to read the menu below that came from the top of my head when I was thinking about the challenges that surround water on our planet. If you are a Guider, this is a great launching pad for discussion in your Units on some of the issues:

• Water sanitation
• Water shortages
• Water wastage
• Waters rising
• Chlorinated and fluoridated water
• Rain water droughts
• Bottled water
• Ground water pollution
• Freshwater fish shortages
• Children not having clean water

Generally the focus of World Water Day is on one of the issues above but this year the theme is on the interdependent relationship between the food that we eat and water. Take two minutes to watch the video below to learn more about the issues.

It’s not always easy to blog about things that are upsetting, so I’d like to zoom in on the small things we can do to make a difference. The video has given you some tools and info on the issues, but here are a few changes you can implement that will make a difference.

Here today, right now, once you know these things and put them into action, you will help to change the world. Here are the top five things you can do to make a difference in the global water issues that exist today!

1. The number one thing on this list is a tricky one, and not exactly one that can be applied the same way around the world. The factor that has the largest impact on water issues is the size of our population. The recommendation is that we as a whole have fewer children to decrease the demand on water resources. Realistically that is not likely to happen but slowing down population growth is essential to our water issues.

2. Eat less meat – Meatless Mondays are a great place to start, but in reality, the less meat we consume the more clean water there is available on this earth.

• FACT – It takes 15,000 litres of water to produce  1 kg of beef; that’s a lot of water wasted for that process.
• FACT – Every year in the United States alone, 80 per cent of all agricultural land, half of all water resources, 70 per cent of all grain, and one-third of all fossil fuels are used to raise animals for food.

3. Conserve Water – only 1 per cent of the world’s freshwater is available for drinking and we have a responsibility to take care of it. By conserving water you are making a difference. Here’s a link to more than 100 ways you can save water!

4. Reduce your carbon footprint. Pollution, melting glaciers, and global warming all contribute to the wasting of water but also impact food resources on our Earth. The North Pacific Gyre (also known as the Great Garbage Patch) is a prime example of how pollution affects our marine life.

5. If you haven’t done so already, go back to the tap. Stop drinking from plastic water bottles for your health and for the planet. Here are some startling facts on the resources required to make bottled water! The data reflect only few years, but still it’s entirely relevant. Invest once and for all in a top quality stainless steel or glass bottle. You will inevitably save money, and without a doubt you will help to save some of the world’s water resources.

Thanks for taking the time on this World Water Day to learn about some of the issues, now go forth and share this information with friends, family and whoever. Go take action for a better world!

Joyce Shanks

By guest blogger Joyce Shanks. Joyce is a certified holistic practitioner and President of eCause Canada Inc., whose mission is to provide simple, profitable, green fundraising for healthy profits and a healthy world. She can also be reached by email.  Looking for more by Joyce? Read her previous posts on our blog: Canadian Made: We Can Save Our Planet, Green Camping and Green of Red, Orange, Yellow and Gold Leaves .

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