National Green Week – Spotlight on the Sustainable Water Challenge

The average American uses about 100 gallons of water a day! Yikes! This is substantially more than any other country, a factor that is contributing to the significant stress on our nation’s water resources.  Just a few days ago, the Associated Press reported that we’re currently in the worst drought in decades, affecting 60 percent of the lower 48 states.

Water still comes out of the tap when we turn it on, so why should you care right now? 

                R.j. Matson / Roll Call, Politicalcartoons.com

One reason to start changing your behaviors to conserve our earth’s most precious natural resource is because droughts will continue to drive up the price of food and deepen worries about a global food shortage. It takes time to feel the effects through the food chain, but this year each person in the US can expect to spend an extra $75 due to lower crop yields.

With less than 1% of all the water on Earth available for human use (the rest is salt water or glaciers) and a growing population, we need to be careful about the ways we use water on a daily basis. Wasting even a small amount of water today means less water available during inevitable times of drought. Can you shorten your shower by a minute or two each day? Do you turn off the water while brushing your teeth? If not, start today and make it a lifelong habit. Ready for more? Check out our indoor and outdoor water saving tips.

Make the Sustainable Water Challenge your 2013 National Green Week theme to teach students why water is important, where it comes from, how we use it, and the ways we can all make a difference by conserving water at home and at school.

Don’t forget, we’re giving away water bottles for 10 classrooms! Sign up for National Green Week before Feb. 1 to be entered!