Water Conservation

At first thought, you might think that water conservation was the least of our concerns. Every landmass is surrounded by water, right? So what's the big deal?

The deal is "drinkable" water, otherwise known as potable water. Ocean water, saltwater, can be converted to drinking water, but it takes effort, and you have to get it inland, roughly in reverse of how water flows down from mountains.

It would also be reasonable to think, well, if I just keep the faucet on, then the water goes back down into the ground anyway, right?

But unfortunately it takes energy to reclaim wastewater and make it fit for human use and/or consumption. So yes, it gets recycled, but you end up using fossil fuels to convert it back.

How Water Works

The general pattern is that water falls from the sky as rain or snow.

And snow melts on mountains, and water collects in lakes.


Here are two videos that explain the water cycle. Which is your favorite? I can't decide, so both are included.

Drought

A good way to reflect on the importance of water conservation is to consider the opposite of water abundance: drought.

You may live in a country that has abundant water, but even if you live in the midst of abundance, you may have experienced an especially hot summer where residents of your area were asked (or forced) to limit their use of water.

When water becomes scarce in wealthy nations, it can be frustrating, and cause a change in habits. Large cities can be in competition with other areas for water rights, and even farmers with irrigation systems can have issues.

The situation with water is different than fossil fuels, but there is at least some similarity, as the availability of water becomes more limited, as some areas of the world become more "desertified" from not having as much green plant life on the surface to trap the water, and when increasing amounts of water are used from common underground sources that are drained faster than they are replenished.

Life or Death

When water becomes scarce in developing nations, it can be a matter of life and death. And if water management habits don't change, it could become a source of conflict in developed nations.

Due to the expansive growth of cities and the expansion of water consumption, water conservation and water scarcity have become a serious global issues. For example, water scarcity has been noted as a central part of the origins of conflict in Darfur (see this article). Water-related issues are predicted to become increasingly critical in the coming years.

PROJECTS

This issue is serious enough to warrant learning about, and if you care about the world, then it is very serious already in some areas. Below are a few selected sites that can help you learn, and provide some practical ways to respond both locally, and globally.

25 Ways to Save Water at Home

http://eartheasy.com/live_water_saving.htm

- A simple description of some ways to conserve water.

H2O Conserve / H2O "Footprint Calculator"

http://www.h2oconserve.org

- A web-based project that offers tools and knowledge related to water conservations, including a "water footprint" calculator to help you calculate your water use.

The Alliance for Water Efficiency

http://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org

- A national non-profit organization that promotes the efficient and sustainable use of water. Includes a comprehensive web-based Water Efficiency Resource Library, maintained in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre

http://www.irc.nl

- Works towards the sharing, promotion and use of knowledge so that governments, professionals and organisations can better support poor men, women and children in developing countries to obtain water and sanitation services they will use and maintain.

AKVO

www.akvo.org

- Akvo creates and shares internet tools that help to provide clean water and proper sanitation to those who today have none. The project works towards the exchange of knowledge and the improvement of people's health and living conditions quickly.

RELATED LINKS

Water Conservation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_conservation

Drought: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought

US Drought Monitor: http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

Suggested Topics/Questions to Explore/Discuss

Water Rights: Water is a shared resource, and contending requirements for water can create tension in a situation of scarcity. This could also be a question of rivers, and the effects of damming a river or using water upstream, and affecting people downtream. This can also be a national issue, such as the question of increasing water use in China, and the effect it is having on water levels in Vietnam, and the shrimp industry there.

Water and sanitation: in some developing countries, basic access to clean water and sanitation is just as much of an issue as water scarcity. A lack of clean water and/or basic sanitation has a direct impact on disease and life expectancy.

Personal water conservation: how can we save water in our home?

Lawns: how much water do lawns require? What is the history of lawns? What countries in the world have lawns?

Learning Techniques

Try searching for more information using Google, YouTube or Wikipedia, by coming up with words and phrases for questions or concerns. You can also add depth to your learning by pursuing opposing viewpoints.

Ex: Try searching for the following phrases on Google:

"water conservation"
"water rights"
"water scarcity"