It is Hot - BUT ......Reduce Your Water Footprint

How to Reduce Your Water Footprint (Infographic)

It’s no secret that we use a lot of water in our day-to-day lives. However, eating locally and choosing to drink the local water rather than bottle water can help reduce your water usage and footprint. While there are some places where bottled water is certainly the safer option eg Bali, in most developed countries [ Europe, USA, NZ, Australia]  the tap water must pass rigorous testing. This infographic from Wheels for Wishes  details some ways to reduce your water footprint as well as some details on how much water we actually use.

Infographic via Wheels for Wishes

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-reduce-your-water-footprint-infographic.html#ixzz3qwzBJuXk

The past few days in Darwin have been VERY UNCOMFORTABLY HOT HOT HOT. 

Near record maximum temperatures and high humidity plus near record high minimums as well.  And likely to continue for some time.

Water drinking weather, as well as the time to cool off in the air conditioning when you can [ even the pool might be too warm].

While the inforgraphic is based around US data, it would be similar here in Australia.

Simple changes will reduce your water footprint.........with the fundemental one - BYOW, yes, Bring Your Own Water - it comes from the tap at home or at work, and if preferred cold, store a bottle in the fridge for regular use!  And use a reusable container.  

There are plenty of options.  None include buying water except in dire need, and even then most places will allow use of a tap to refill a container.

Remember that purchased water in a bottle is one of the the MOST expensive liquids........even more expansive in many places than exclusive champagne or even petrol!

[ partially purloined from Wheels for Wishes........but a necessary reminder for hot weather]

Water - for all. An Infographic

Earth Day and Clean WAter

In light of Earth Day (April 22), The University of Florida has created an infographic “Five Water Purification Designs for Third World Communities” to help people visualize five water purification designs that can benefit developing nations, according to ufonline.ufl.edu.

The infographic highlights statistics reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) which states 748 million people lack access to safe drinking water sources, an estimated 1.8 billion people use a fecally contaminated source for drinking water, 2.5 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation facilities and over 840,000 people die from water-related diseases each year.

“Contaminated water is the number one cause of death in developing countries, causing diseases such as cholera, hepatitis, typhoid fever, malaria, ascariasis, dengue fever and many other deadly illnesses,” states the introduction to the infographic. “

In fact, contaminated water is the number one public health concern globally based on its impact to society, according to the WHO.  Fortunately, the WHO estimates that 10 percent of the global disease burden could be prevented with improved water supply and sanitation.

In light of this, a number of innovations and technologies are providing growing solutions to this problem.”

The infographic highlights five purification solutions including: UV, solar purification, ceramic filters, a water-purifying bicycle and personal filter straws.

It is worthwhile reproducing in this format.  Not all methods are equal in efficacy, but having clean water is just so important on developing areas of the world, as well as after natural catastrophes, which do seem to occur so often.

See below for the infographic:

You can find more information, as well as the infographic, here.