World Water Day, founded by the United Nations in 1993, is an international celebration of the world’s freshwater resources and was created to help spread awareness on the importance of water conservation worldwide. With rapidly increasing climate change, growing populations, and heightened demand for clean water, communities have had to become increasingly more innovative in their water resources. Resorting to water reclamation and water desalination practices and increasing reliance on groundwater, it is paramount that the importance of conserving the world’s precious water resources is highlighted for the prosperity of our future to be maintained.
Water runs through the pipes in our homes with convenience and ease nowadays. When we need water, we simply turn a knob and can then immediately use it for drinking, cleaning, cooking, and showering in our homes. If they are environmentally conscious, people will be mindful of their water consumption when completing daily at-home tasks. But the reality is that we use water for much more than what is seen immediately in our homes. Easy access has made the general consumer less aware of their water resources, consequently becoming unaware of the water usage that happens every day in less obvious ways.
Water consumption is all around us, from the water used to cool down the power plants that provide us with electricity to the water we use in food production and clothes manufacturing facilities. Its overwhelming inefficiency is more severe than one might assume. According to The United Nations world water development report 2021, 69% of the total water withdrawals conducted worldwide are due to agricultural practices, industry accounting for 19%, and municipalities for 12%.
While some awareness regarding the importance of conservation efforts has surfaced in recent years, the use and dependence on these water resources increase annually; unfortunately, water availability and quality have failed to follow the same pattern. Fast fashion, for example, needs water during the production of the textiles, the plastic and paper used in the packaging, and the transportation used to deliver the items to your door. Not to mention the water contamination that can later be caused when the clothes are no longer in fashion and are thrown away. Keeping these things in mind when purchasing products and being overall more aware of the processes put in place to create the products we love could help you, as a consumer, make more conscious decisions to impact water availability positively in the future.
In addition to this, it is crucial to keep in mind that first-world nations and modern-day societies with access to water resources are not unanimous worldwide. Many communities internationally struggle every day to meet the minimum water demand necessary to survive. These issues are outstanding in our modern world. They will continue to become increasingly incremental obstacles to our future if changes are not made in how we consume water agriculturally, industrially, and as a society overall.
As advocates for water conservation and sustainability practices, Smart Energy Education encourages you and your family to take some time to celebrate World Water Day and learn more about your water resources and how they are consumed in your home. From the length of the showers you take to the manufacturing practices of the appliances you buy, we urge you to be mindful of your water resources, keeping in mind that while they are essential to our comfortability and survival, they are not unlimited.
Check out some great water conservation activities and blogs on Smart Energy Education and the Watt Watchers of Texas to learn more! And don’t forget to follow the Smart Energy Education Facebook page for updates on all our projects, scholarship opportunities, blog posts and more!
