30 Day to Sustainability-Day 4: Water Waste
Water, please, water…” I whispered through my dry mouth and halfway conscious while sitting on the top of a truck in the middle of the African Savannah. I didn’t have water in the past 24 hours.
It was the 4th day of our trip as volunteers in a rural area of Africa. Our NGO sent us on an assignment to investigate the local markets in the rural area of Mozambique. We thought we were prepared but we weren’t. The goal was to reach the remote areas by boat, and to cross the Zambezi River we could face alligators while on that boat. Without hesitation, we decided to avoid the danger of crossing the river by boat and took an alternative route across the nearest bridge. This trip added 3 days extra and left us without water. We got lucky because we met another truck driver who had water to share.
At that time, I survived without water, but I realized the most important thing. Water is the most crucial element for humans to survive. Without drinkable water, we die fast. When you have water, you don’t realize those simple facts and we take water for granted.
Water Facts
60% of the human body is water
3 days without water humans die
844 million people have no access to drinkable water
800 children under 5 die because of no access to clean water or sanitation
Water Waste
200 gallons of water is used every day by the average American
5 gallons of water is used by the average African family
By 2025 2/3 of the global population will have no access to clean water
How to Decrease Water Waste
1. Shower less. When I lived in the US, people used to shower every day. Sorry, after my experience in Africa with water I couldn’t. Here in Spain, nobody showers daily. I shower now twice a week and wash my hair once. It is better for your skin and don’t worry, you won’t smell. If you exercise daily then a quick shower under 5 minutes. Cutting only 4 minutes of your shower time can save 30 gallons.
2. Sprinklers and Irrigation systems to water the lawn are an absolute waste.
Many home irrigation systems are wasteful; they spray sidewalks or over water, leading to water running right off into the drain. While it is impossible to know the exact amount of water used on lawns on a daily basis across the entire country, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 30% of the average household’s water use is outdoors, and half of that is to water the lawn.
In the US all the homes in suburbia must have a front lawn and if you try to have a garden instead the HOA can sue you. I believe that is insane. Why does everyone need a lawn? Instead of a lawn, homeowners should have gardens. But there is hope and things are slowly changing. In Australia, they do have water restrictions. At the same time, California will be restricting water use from this year and the restriction will continue to get stricter. I hope everyone can come up with some solutions to decrease water waste.
3. Food waste equals water waste. It takes 21% of the total water is used in the world to grow food. To prepare food, you need water as well, including for washing the dishes. Therefore, when you waste food you automatically wastewater. The best way is to plan your grocery shopping and buy less. Why? Because you can always buy more if needed.