Discover Why Water Is The Driving Force Of Life

National Water Quality Month

“Water is the driving force of all nature.” Leonardo da Vinci

Many of us are guilty of taking our clean, fresh water for granted. It is easy to do. We turn on the tap to fill our glass. We turn on the hose to perk up our flowers. Very few of us can ever remember a time when it was considered a scarcity. But it can happen and this stressful event may happen sooner than we expect if we are not careful. National Water Quality Month was created to help remind people of the importance of protecting our H2O supplies.

“Water has become a highly precious resource. There are some places where a barrel of water costs more than a barrel of oil.” Beverly Beuermann-King Click to tweet

Did you know?

That less than 1% of all H2O on Earth is usable by humans
Only 1% of Canada’s fresh water is renewable
If the world’s water fit into a bucket, only one teaspoonful would be drinkable
The average North American uses 400 liters every day whereas the average person in the developing world uses 10 liters every day for their drinking, washing and cooking
Every year globally more people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war

Shower Manager

One of the best purchases that we made for our house was the Shower Manager. Having two teenagers in the house meant that a lot was being wasted with 40 minute showers that occurred several times a day. One of my sons even had a habit of falling asleep in the shower. One day, I finally had enough of no hot water, of being late for school and the waste. A thorough search on-line found our family saviour: The Shower Manager. This baby was awesome!! It could be set for 5, 8 or 11 minutes. It gives a one minute warning beep, then it shuts the water down to nothing. And no amount of whining or tinkering can turn it back on for 5 minutes. We started at 11 minutes with many complaints that the “arena showers are better than this” and threats of using “the garden hose”. However, after a couple of weeks all was settled again. Surprisingly, neither one commented when the time was secretly cut to 8 minutes. It is amazing what you can adjust to.

Beverly’s Hot Tips For Building Your Resiliency During National Water Quality Month:

Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you’ll save up to 550 liters per month. (I can’t imagine how much we wasted over the years)
Turn off the water while you shave your legs and shampoo and save up to 1700 liters a month.
Reduce runoff by using barrels or creating rain gardens.
Turn downspouts of rain gutters into planted areas instead of toward paved surfaces such as driveways.
Make sure sprinklers are not watering the streets and driveways.
If you must use a fertilizer, choose one that contains at least 30% slow-release nitrogen. High nitrogen fertilizers on a plant that does not need it is a waste of money and will eventually be washed away.
Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fix it and save up to 3700 liters a month. Use efficient toilets.

“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.” Benjamin Franklin Beverly Beuermann-King Click to tweet

The Quality And Quantity Of Our Fresh Waters

Our water use has increased, and in many places the availability of water is falling to crisis levels. More than eighty countries, with 40% of the world’s population are already facing water shortages. It is in our own best interest, as well as the future of our children, that we do our very best to ensure the quality and quantity of our fresh water.

“All the water that will ever be is, right now.” National Geographic