March 22 is World Water Day 2020. Held on this day every year since 1993, World Water Day focuses on the importance of freshwater and raising awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. According to the United Nations website, it is also about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
It’s a lofty goal but a worthwhile one. Consider these facts:
- Today, 1 in 3 people live without safe drinking water.
- By 2050, up to 5.7 billion people could be living in areas where water is scarce for at least one month a year.
- By 2040, global energy demand is projected to increase by over 25% and water demand is expected to increase by more than 50%.
The idea for this day goes back to 1992, the year in which the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro took place. That same year,
Each year, World Water Day – created through the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992 - adopts a different theme, always related to water but focusing on a different aspect of how to conserve it, preserve it, clean it, and help people get access to it. This year’s theme is “Water and climate Change – and How the Two are Inextricably Linked.” According to the World Water Day website, adapting to the water effects of climate change will protect health and save lives. What’s more, using water more efficiently will reduce greenhouse gases.
Extreme weather events are making water scarcer, more unpredictable, more polluted or all three. Action plans to tackle climate change need to be integrated across different sectors and coordinated across borders. And they must have one thing in common: safe and sustainable water management.
It’s no secret that not everyone agrees about the degree to which climate change is occurring – or whether it is occurring at all. However, one of the recommendations put forth by the United Nations to combat climate change is one that, regardless of your views on the subject, everyone can get behind: don’t waste water.
At CLEAR2O®, we wholeheartedly agree with that advice. In addition to creating products that help people get the cleanest, purest water possible, we regularly offer water-saving tips to our customers, family, friends and neighbors to help them do their part in the worldwide water-conservation effort.
Following that philosophy, we want to offer you these seven water-saving approaches. Most of us know the usual advice: check for water leaks, take shorter showers, etc. But we thought it would be informative – and fun – to suggest some lesser-known suggestions that tend to fly under the radar, but which can prove to be very effective.
- Don’t Use the Toilet as an Ashtray or Wastebasket. Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other small bit of trash, you’re wasting gallons of water. Put them in the garbage, or better yet, recycle.
- Don’t Run the Hose While Washing Your Car. Clean the car using a pail of soapy water. Use the hose only for rinsing; this simple practice can save as much as 100 gallons when washing a car. Use a spray nozzle when rinsing for more efficient use of water. Better yet, use a waterless car washing system; there are several brands on the market.
- Use a Broom, Not a Hose, to Clean Driveways & Sidewalks. Blasting leaves or stains off your walkways with water is one way to remove them but brushing with a broom to first loosen the dirt and grime will decrease your water use and save time in the long run.
- Rinse Your Razor in the Sink. Before you shave, fill the sink with a few inches of warm water. This will rinse your razor just as well as running water, with far less water waste.
- Use the Dishwasher Instead of Hand Washing. It may seem counterintuitive but running the dishwasher uses less water than washing dishes by hand, more so if you have a water-conserving model. In fact, The EPA estimates an efficient dishwasher can save close to 5,000 gallons each year.
- Position Sprinklers Carefully. Position your sprinklers so water lands on the lawn or garden, not on paved areas. Also, avoid watering on windy days.
- Self-Watering Hanging Basket Planters. These ingenious items have a reservoir of water at the bottom of the container; when the soil becomes dry, the reservoir tops it off. Many of these planters only need topping off once or twice a week, and your plants will never suffer from over watering.
We’ll be offering some other water-saving tips on our social media platforms. There are also numerous websites with literally hundreds of other ideas of how to conserve. Do it for yourself. Do it for the climate. Do it for the world.