I have read more and more articles to date about how we are running out of water.
I read the article above along with other articles stating that it takes thousands and thousands of gallons of water to produce enough cotton to make a pair of jeans. I don’t know which articles are true and which ones are false but this one here says it takes 1,500 gallons of water as opposed to another article that said it took 42,000 gallons.
Regardless, it seems like a strange statistic to report on. Water is needed to help plants grow and cotton is a plant. We use cotton for far more than just jeans and it is an important resource.
60% of cotton is used for apparel but it is also used for home furnishing and medical or hygienic uses. (Source: UNCTAD)
This is a graph of my towns recycling rules:
Everything must be rinsed clean. Does anyone else realize that this action requires us to use another resource in an effort to preserve another? It makes no sense to me. I would need to tour a recycling facility to better understand what they do there but regardless, we are wasting water to save plastic and glass, etc.
Currently our sewers are combined, which means all water and sewage leaving a building goes to the same place. I never knew that until very recently. I always assumed sewage or toilet pipes were separate, but they are the same. If they were separate plastic pipes could be used and salt water could be used in toilets instead of fresh. There is no reason we need fresh water for sewage.
This site has some great tips for conserving water: 100 Ways to Conserve Water
You might read this and roll your eyes thinking this is not an issue. Believe me I used to do the same thing. After reading and doing additional research I’ve come to realize that we need to be conscientious rather than ignorant of the issues.
Water is only one of the resources we are overusing. If we can minimize use by small amounts everyday we can make a huge difference.
Below is a book for kids as well as a book for adults. Read together with your children and let them know how important it is to use water sparingly. It could even be turned into a game.
