In today’s world, water scarcity is a rising issue that is affecting every continent. Water use is inevitable, with the need and demand for this natural resource increasing throughout thirsty industries around the globe.
As a growing number of areas around the world are reaching the limit of their watersheds and resources, it is up to us as a community to limit and conserve our water resources.
World Water Day is an annual day established by the United Nations to honor and advocate for water conservation around the globe. Continue reading to learn some of today’s key water facts, plus, simple everyday ways you can help conserve.
What Is World Water Day?
World Water Day is an annual celebration every year on March 22nd, designated by United Nations. This day is dedicated to raising awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe and clean drinking water on this planet.
As societies, industries, technology, and the world as a whole has greatly advanced over the past few decades, our environment and planet have taken an increasingly alarming hit.
Currently, 1 in 10 people (approximately 771 million), do not have access to safe water. Nonetheless, about 4 billion people (about two-thirds of the world population), experience severe water scarcity at least one month out of each year.
The United Nations has reported warnings and cautionary statistics about global water use, stating,
“Water use has been growing globally at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century, and an increasing number of regions are reaching the limit at which water services can be sustainably delivered, especially in arid regions."
At this rate, communities around the globe can expect to see increasingly intense water scarcity in surrounding environments - projecting to disturb 700 million people by the year 2030.
In a world where water is constantly demanded in everyday households, commercial industries, agricultural farms, and every standard industry in between, it is up to us as members of this planet to practice effective and sustainable efforts towards the conservation of this precious commodity.
Today’s Key Facts About Water
Consider the amount of water you personally use and need on a daily basis. Whether it’s drinking water (110 million gallons drank in the U.S. each day), cleaning, brushing your teeth (5 gallons used if you leave the water running), flushing the toilet (3.5 gallons per flush), watering household plants, or showering (27% of domestic water use) - many of us are fortunate enough to have water use accessible and possible whenever we need it.
For many other countries around the world, (and as of recently, even some Western parts of the United States), water use and scarcity are drastically harming and affecting these environments and communities.
World Water Day is an annual day to represent and bring awareness to this exhausted natural resource. In honor of advocating the sustainable practices of freshwater, our team at Geomat has broken down some of the world’s top facts regarding water use and conservation:
Additionally, based on the United Nation’s Water Scarcity report,
Less than 2% of Earth’s water supply is freshwater (with the other 97% being saltwater).
With that, only 1% of that water is available as drinking water.
An automatic dishwasher uses 9 to 12 gallons of water while hand washing dishes can use up to 20 gallons.
Approximately 1 million miles of pipelines and aqueducts carry water in the U.S. & Canada. That's enough pipe to circle the earth 40 times.
About 800,000 water wells are drilled each year in the United States for domestic, farming, commercial, and water testing purposes.
The average human body is made of 55% - 65% water.
It takes 6.3 gallons of water to make 17 ounces of plastic.
And 2.6 gallons of water to make a sheet of paper.
How Can I Make An Impact on Water Conservation?
According to the United Nation members who designated World Water Day, the current sustainable development goal involves providing water and sanitation for all by the year 2030.
So, what does this mean for the billions of people on Earth that need water every day?
Sustainable water practices can be the starting point of making an impact on your environment and surrounding water resources. It can be as simple as shutting off the water when brushing your teeth, or implementing a drip irrigation system for agricultural farms.
No matter what action you take, water around the world can be conserved, sustained, and more accessible if we all made efficient choices and actions around our water use. It can be helpful to assess the amount of water you use daily on a personal and professional level.
For instance, how much water is estimated to be used in your cannabis cultivation operations? How much water do you use daily at home, just for sanitation and hygiene alone? Reflecting on when and why you use the water resources around you can effectively help to consider more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.
The World Health Organization recommends 2 gallons per person daily to meet the requirements of most people under most conditions, and around 5 gallons per person daily to cover basic hygiene and food hygiene needs.
Additionally, these changes in daily or monthly water usage for your facility can also save on pricey utility bills and headaches that often derive from strict cannabis environmental regulations.
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle All Water With Geomat
Thanks to Geomat’s Water Recovery System, all wastewater and water runoff that is used in various operations (from rental car washes, hazmat showers, to cannabis cultivation operations), can be effectively reduced, reused, and recycled through its Patented filtration system.
No matter how you choose to use Geomat, every drop of wastewater and water runoff collected on the unit’s surface can be cleaned, recycled, and ready to reuse at any time. Not only does this closed-loop system make water conservation more attainable for cannabis facilities, but is a sustainable and efficient solution to industries and businesses that aim to reach environmental compliance through water containment and management.
To learn more about the sustainable benefits of Geomat’s Cannabis Water Recovery Systems, visit us at www.Geomat.com and follow us on LinkedIn!