| If your clean water dilemma is how to clean | | | | that does not live in the water, but depends on |
| water marks from glass vases, you're just | | | | clean water for health and cleanliness. |
| touching the tip of this iceberg. If your water is | | | | 6. We need to clean water to cut down on our |
| clean, should it leave water marks on glass | | | | carbon footprint. |
| vases? | | | | The emissions involved in producing bottled water |
| SECRET: You can clean water marks from glass | | | | are astounding. Pablo Päster, Sustainability |
| vases. I don't guarantee this will work on every | | | | Engineer and MBA, did a thorough and exhaustive |
| vase, and urge you to use these ideas at your | | | | study of the cost of bringing a single liter of Fiji |
| own risk, but here they are. Mix equal parts of | | | | Water to America. He found that bottlers use |
| cold tea with vinegar, and dissolve a denture | | | | nearly seven times as much water to bottle it |
| cleaner tablet in the mixture. Or fill the vase with | | | | than you actually drink. The total amount of |
| water and drop in 2 Alka Seltzer tablets. Soak | | | | water used to produce and deliver one bottle of |
| your vase overnight in either solution, rinse, and | | | | imported water is 6.74 kg! In the process of |
| dry. | | | | making the bottle, getting water into the bottle, |
| Ten Reasons Why We Need to Clean Water | | | | and delivering it to you, 250g of GHG emissions |
| 1. Clean water is vital to the human body. | | | | were released. |
| The human body is 50 to 70 per cent water, and | | | | 7. We need to clean water to cut down on |
| needs a regular supply of clean water to maintain | | | | refuse. |
| health. We need clean drinking water. We need | | | | Each plastic drinking-water bottle takes hundreds |
| clean water for cooking and making beverages. | | | | of years to biodegrade in a landfill. Many plastic |
| Healthy eating and clean water go hand in hand. | | | | drinking-water bottles litter the countryside. Some |
| We must work to clean water worldwide in order | | | | will be recycled, but the recycling process is said |
| to maintain sufficient sources to supply this need. | | | | to pollute the environment with toxic carcinogens. |
| 2. Clean water is vital to our food. | | | | If we clean water so that it is truly free of |
| If we fail to clean water and keep it clean, we will | | | | contaminants, additives, bacteria, and virus, people |
| be shut up to a diet of contaminated food. Not | | | | are less likely to rely on bottled water. |
| only fish, but other meats, fruits, and vegetables | | | | 8. Clean rain and snow are not givens. |
| will deliver contamination to us. If we want | | | | Rain is just one step in the water cycle. Pure rain |
| healthful, clean fish to leap forth from rivers, | | | | does not automatically fall through the universe, |
| streams, and oceans, we will have to clean water. | | | | filtered by the atmosphere and delivered from |
| If we want healthful, organic produce, we will | | | | pure clouds. Neither does pure snow. The rain, |
| have to clean water used to irrigate produce. | | | | snow, and other precipitation we receive find their |
| 3. Clean water is vital to human health. | | | | way into the sky from bodies of water on earth. |
| Clean drinking water is vital to health, yet the UN | | | | If we fail to clean water on earth, we will have |
| and the World Health Organization (WHO) report | | | | increasingly polluted precipitation. Polluted |
| that 1.1 billion people around the globe lack access | | | | precipitation is harmful to everyone and |
| to clean drinking water. The health consequences | | | | everything on which it falls. |
| are devastating. The UN attributes 2.2 million | | | | 9. We need clean water for all-around cleanliness. |
| deaths annually to poor water and sanitation. If | | | | Whether it's your laundry in the Maytag washer, |
| we clean water, provide better sanitation, and | | | | your carpet beneath the cleaning machine, or your |
| teach people how to keep water clean, future | | | | body under the shower, clean water is necessary |
| generations can enjoy longer and healthier lives. | | | | for all-around cleanliness. From early preschool |
| 4. Clean water is essential for water sports. | | | | years onward, children are taught proper hygiene |
| A swimmer in clean water is safe from illnesses | | | | - and it depends on clean water. |
| and diseases produced by contaminated and toxic | | | | 10. The consequences of inadequate access to |
| water. A surfer does not have to fear swallowing | | | | clean water are too great. |
| water in a wipe out. Boaters and others who use | | | | Many have expressed growing concern that |
| our water for recreation can relax without | | | | water wars are more likely in the future than |
| concern about pollutants. Yet, 27 years after the | | | | current battles for oil. Where access to clean |
| passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act, 40% of | | | | water is the very essence of life, "no water" may |
| our rivers, lakes, and estuaries were still too | | | | mean "no peace." A failure to clean water now |
| polluted for safe swimming and similar water | | | | may result in global warfare for future |
| sports. | | | | generations. |
| 5. Clean water is essential for fish and other | | | | You may be able to add more reasons. You may |
| wildlife species. | | | | substitute different reasons, but the bottom line is |
| As humans, we must consider the needs of fish, | | | | still the same. We need to clean water. |
| whales, water fowl, and other wildlife species that | | | | It is wiser, and less costly, to keep water clean |
| live in water. We must clean water when there | | | | than to try to clean water that has become dirty |
| are oil spills, of course, but we must also work to | | | | and polluted. Will we develop such wisdom for the |
| clean water flowing into our oceans, lakes, rivers, | | | | remaining clean water we have? |
| and streams. We must clean water for wildlife | | | | |