In the beginning, as recorded in Genesis 1: 9-10, “And God said, Let the vapors separate to form the sky above and the oceans below.” So God made the sky, dividing the vapor above from the water below. This miracle happened on the second day. Then God said, “Let the water beneath the sky be gathered into oceans so that the dry land will emerge.” And so it was. Then God named the dry land “Earth” and the water “seas.” And God was pleased.
Throughout the solar system, the Earth is the only planet that has been blessed with water, with the exception of the planet Mars. Life on Earth cannot exist without this precious fluid. It has been thought that the molecule of water (H2O) is a single structure. However, it has been found to be a very complex molecule. It has also been suggested that water has a memory and is affected by many external forces in the atmosphere, which changes its behavior in relation to our survival.
At the present time, the Earth is experiencing drought throughout the world. In some areas, there is an overabundance of rain causing devastation to the Earth’s surface, thus threatening plant and animal life. It is evident that life on this planet depends on water. Most humans feel that water will never run out and yet history has proved in many societies throughout the world that a water source can be depleted, causing migrations of many peoples.
If we are to preserve our water supply, we must make an effort to conserve this precious fluid. I would like to suggest the following:
• Turning off the tap during the time it takes to brush our teeth can save nearly nine gallons of water. That is more than an average citizen of Kenya makes do with throughout an entire day.
• When a tap is turned on, approximately two gallons of pure drinking water flow out every minute.
• When you wash dishes by hand, fill the sink rather than washing each plate under a continuously running tap. If you use a dishwasher wisely, it will likely use less water than even careful handwashing practices.
• You can reduce water consumption by replacing your showerhead with one that aerates and increases the flow of water to produce a finer spray.
• In the U.S., the government estimates that 36 states will face water shortages in the next five years.
• Think of the water that is wasted when you wait for the shower to heat up. Collect the water in a bucket and use it to water plants, mop the kitchen floor or handwash delicate clothing.
• When you boil water for tea or a hot drink, try to boil only what you need. If British people, who are great tea drinkers, did this just one day, the energy saved could power all the country’s street lamps through the following night.
• Teach your children to treat water with respect. The faucet in the bathtub and the garden hose are not toys. Do not let your children play with running water.
• The average dishwasher uses nine to 12 gallons per cycle. Consider upgrading to a more efficient model that uses only four to seven gallons. Only run the dishwasher when completely full.
• Wait until evening to water your garden. Keep the weather forecast in mind. There is no sense in watering if rain is in the forecast.
• Take a shower rather than a bath. A five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons, whereas a filled bathtub holds 70 gallons of water. The average American wastes up to 30 gallons per day.
• According to the EPA, a faucet that leaks one drop per second can waste up to 3,000 gallons of water per year. A leaking toilet can lose 150 to 200 gallons daily.
• No fewer than 114 great rivers, or half the planet’s biggest watercourses, are severely polluted. As a result, at least a fifth of the planet’s 10,000 species of fresh water fish are either extinct or are in danger of extinction.
• A city of 100,000 people produces nearly 80,000 gallons of waste water everyday.
• Avoid pouring food oils down the sink. Vinaigrette, oil from tuna cans and oil used for frying form a film on water that interferes with the functioning of water treatment plants by suffocating the bacteria that removes pollution. It is better to put such oils aside in a closed plastic container that can be discarded with other non-recyclable wastes.
• Americans go through approximately 400 million miles of toilet paper each year. If every home replaced just one roll of regular toilet paper with a recycled roll, it would save nearly 500,000 trees.
All of the above suggestions on how to save the Earth’s water supply were taken from the book “365 Ways to Save the Earth” by Philippe Bourseiller and should be purchased by all who are interested in saving our Earth.
