It is understandable that Canadians don't really think about drinking water that often. Estimates are that Canada has between 5% and 20% of the world's supply of clean drinking water at our disposal. We are surrounded by it and we enjoy spending our time swimming in it instead of thinking about it.
The problem is that most of the world isn't as fortunate as us. Many don't have the luxury to consume or even waste water like we do. The CBC reported:
Canadians consume 350 litres of water a day per capita, second only to the Americans as the most profligate wasters of water in the world. The average global citizen needs only between 20 and 40 litres of water a day for drinking and sanitation.
Perhaps if Canadians understood the magnitude of the clean drinking water program globally, we'd start to change our habits in some small ways that could make a huge difference. Here are some startling facts about the clean drinking water issue from charity:water :
- Over a billion people, or one in eight, don't have access to clean drinking water.
- In Africa alone, people spend nearly 40 billion hours every year walking for water that is often barely safe to drink.
- Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of diseases and kill more people every year than acts of violence, including war.
The Ottawa-based non-profit One Change has some great tips for saving water on their site.
Having recently read Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead and been to a Furthur show just this past summer, I'd like to take this opportunity to point to The Unbroken Chain Foundation's Box of Rain project that supports charity : water.
You can view their auction which includes items such as tickets to the Furthur New Year's celebration in San Francisco.
You can also sign change.org's petition.
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