The Green Cup Challenge begins in just a few weeks, and it’s time for us as a student body to get motivated to help our environment. There are many encouraging stories out there. In September, an organization called Blue Planet Run completed an around-the-world relay in which various participants combined to run for ninety-five days, twenty-four hours a day to raise money and spread awareness about importance of clean water. The impact was huge, but so is the issue they were working to fix: the billions of people who don’t have daily access to clean water, and the 2.2 million who each year as a result. Here at Choate, we need to work hard and set high goals for ourselves as well.
High school students can and should write letters urging for stricter policies governing water usage and donate money to build wells in the third-world. But water shortages today affect nearly the entire world, not just the small, sub-Saharan villages we hear about. Although over 70% of the world is covered in water, only 1-2% can support human life, according to Treehugger.com. Many factors—such as an increase in population and consequent demand for water, the constant development of new infrastructure products, and over-consumption by developed nations—are straining water treatment, distribution, and disposal systems and making it increasingly difficult to find fresh water. Water is an issue that demands the world’s attention.
An Interconnected Problem
The extreme weather brought about by climate change is contributing to the absence of fresh water as well, as hurricanes, tornadoes, and an overall rise in global temperature create a chain of effects. When rivers and lakes dry up, animals and humans alike are faced with severe water shortages. We don’t have to look beyond our own state to see the problem: this summer was one of the driest summers New England has seen, and yet we see sprinkler systems watering the pavement day after day.
It is easy to overlook the importance of water conservation in the sustainability movement. After all, wasting water does not release carbon dioxide into the air. We are not even measuring water use in the Green Cup Challenge. But the truth is that the conservation of water is fundamentally connected to the conservation of food, heat, and paper. First, the treatment, storage, and transportation of water require a great deal of energy, and a large portion of the cost of water actually represents electricity costs. The reduction of water consumption corresponds with the reduction of energy consumption. And remember the food waste presentation on Wednesday? 616 gallons of water go into the making of a four-ounce hamburger. Second, water can act as a vector for pollution. Just think of all the sewer systems in the world. Most of the water from our toilets and sinks is not recycled but ends up in septic systems, which drain into our oceans. This pollutes not only habitats but also important sources of clean water, further diminishing the world’s overall supply. Water is one of our basic needs, but although we may think we have an unlimited number of long, hot showers ahead of us, we don’t.
Taking Small Steps
So what can we do to conserve water, and thereby conserve heat and energy? As well as petitioning the government to make water conservation a higher priority, we can do simple things here on campus to create a substantial impact. Of course, the first thing we can do, to the frustration of many, is take shorter showers. This does not mean that we shouldn’t rub a bar of soap over our bodies every day. We should. But we don’t have to stand under the hot water for five extra minutes after we have already finished cleaning ourselves. And girls, do we really need the water going while we shave our legs? Do the same at the sink when brushing your teeth or washing your face, and you can save around three gallons of water each day. When washing your jerseys or dishes in the sink, use as little soap as possible, to lessen the amount of water you need to rinse. Report faucet leaks to the facilities staff as well. Finally, be vocal. Take action and tell others to do the same. Conserve water because it’s the right thing to do. Using less water here in Wallingford does not guarantee clean water in Africa, but our actions do make a difference. By conserving water and energy we save money as well, which can be sent to support similar efforts elsewhere—sending ripples of clean water across the world.
