As I perused the paper yesterday, I was struck by a recent article on water facts.. So often here in the Western world we take for granted the ability to drink from a faucet, to take a shower, and to plunge in a pool. Yet much of the world is without adequate fresh water and all too often we run water as if we have an endless supply. Here are some fascinating facts provided by the Science Museum that brought me to pause and reflect of the importance of conservation...
* 70% of the Earth's surface is water, yet only three percent is freshwater.
*According the Water International, less than 1% of the freshwater is directly accessible for human use.
* 2.7 tons of plastic are used each year in bottled water; only about 20% of that is recycled
* If you fill the bottle 1/4 full of oil... that is how much oil it took to make and produce the bottle
* It takes 74 gallons of water (including plant growth) to make a cup of coffee
*It takes 713 gallons of water to produce a T-Shirt (yes, we need to recycle!)
*According to Water International, 3.575 million people die each year from water related diseases (i.e. lack of clean water)
*Water International indicated that at any given time half of the world's hospital beds are related to water related diseases
*More than 2/3 of people without access to clean water live on less than $2 a day
*According to Water International, an American taking a 5 minute shower uses more water than many typical people in "slum nations" use in an entire day
*Poor people in these nations spend 5-10 x more than the rich for a liter of water in the same nation
These facts are shocking... and remind me of the importance of water conservation...
and stopping to be thankful for every glass of clean water. They too are a reminder that we must minimize pollution and work towards energy conservation. ... I've always been one to shy away from plastic bottled drinking water.... perhaps too I need to think of all those pop and juice containers? Recent studies discuss that many of the bottles are unhealthy anyways given the chemical compounds...
Perhaps I needed the news article to encourage me to take time to stop, think
and be thankful for a clean, clear, refreshing glass of water!!!
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