Turn on your faucet and it flows and flows—
clean, safe, life-giving water. For many of us, water
seems both plentiful and cheap. But the truth is that
water is an increasingly limited—and arguably our most
critical—resource.
Consider this: Only 2.5 percent of the Earth’s water
is considered fresh water. Of this, only three-tenths of
1 percent is available to us via lakes, rivers, and streams.
Unfortunately, much of this tiny fraction is in danger of
drying up through desertification or becoming
irretrievably polluted.
This summer, consider adopting smarter water-use
habits that can help fix this growing problem. Read on
for enlightening facts and inspiration.
Ways to be a water hero
In the house:
Turn off water while brushing your teeth.
Buy a low-flow toilet.
Take short showers instead of baths.
In the garden:
Plant native and drought-tolerant plants.
Use soaker hoses; water in the early morning;
and avoid misting sprinklers.
Sweep, don’t hose down, driveways and patios.
Water stats
{100–176} Gallons of water the average
U.S. resident uses every day at home–versus 5 gallons
per day for the average African family.
{ 3. 7} Average number of miles women in Africa and
Asia travel daily to collect water.
On the table:
Consider eating less meat. Producing
a quarter-pound beef patty requires as much
as 2,900 gallons of water, according to
Cornell University researchers.
Refill reusable bottles with filtered water
rather than buying bottled water.
–Susan Enfield Esrey
{ 6,000} Number of people who die from water-related illnesses every 24 hours.
{ 5. 3 billion} Number of people–two-thirds
of the world’s population–who will suffer from water
shortages by 2025.
To learn more, log onto blueplanetrun.org
and check out Blue Planet Run
Foundation’s grassroots mission to provide
a lifetime’s supply of safe drinking water to
200 million people by 2027.
Sources: Blue Planet Run (Earth Aware Editions, 2007);
Ecological Integrity (Island, 2001).
