Clean drinking water is a valuable resource. While our planet may be covered in water, the only fresh clean drinkable water is frozen in glaciers or underground. We need clean water to keep ourselves healthy. Plants and wildlife need clean water to stay healthy too. We need clean water to enjoy water sports like swimming, to clean our clothes and our homes, to cook with and to save our environment. The environmental cost of transporting water and using bottled water is not a good trade off.
Everyone needs fresh water, in every country around the world, but access to clean water is a growing problem. The earth’s water supplies aren’t limitless: there’s only as much water on earth today as there was millions of years ago, yet our global population continues to grow and while there seems to be lots of freshwater on earth, it’s not always found in places where people want to live. Climate change is also having a negative impact on the quality and quantity of freshwater available for human consumption, through both droughts and flooding.
Most of the world’s population now lives in towns and cities, and this has significantly increased the strain on water resources in these areas. RBC Blue Water project works to protect water in urbanized areas by funding projects that improve control and management of storm or rain water, raise awareness about or use low-impact design or natural systems to control storm or rain water, encourage more efficient use of water, and protect or restore urban waterways.
Even children know the importance of clean water, and when asked what to do to protect our water they come up with some pretty creative answers.
Ten year old Kellen thinks we should make a whole bunch of filters and put them in the water to keep out any dirt and oil. He also thinks we shouldn’t allow anyone to carry oil across our waters anymore.
Nine year old Avery says we could cover it with a big shield, but we would need to put a hole in the top so that the fish can still get air.
Five year old Griffin thinks we should put a lid on it, and drink it.
My friend Beth asked her eleven year old son what he thought, and he said we should find new fuel for boats so harmful oil doesn’t leak into our water supply.
I think the kids have some great ideas, and there are simple things that we can do in our homes every day. Here are some ideas:
- Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth
- Collect rain water for watering plants and lawns
- Only run dishwashers and washing machines when they are full
- Use efficient shower heads and toilets
- Don’t get a new dish every time to get a drink or snack, reuse them through the day
- Take shorter showers
- Bathe children together
- Provide regular maintenance to your plumbing to avoid leaks
- On hot summer days we fill a small child’s pool to play in, and use the water from the pool for water guns, rather than allowing the kids to fill them with the tap
The RBC Blue Water Project is a 10-year global charitable commitment of $50 million to help ensure a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future for generations to come. As a bank, we also want to help create an environment where businesses can succeed in addressing the world’s water challenges and ensure we understand the water issues our clients are facing.
RBC Blue Water Day will be June 14, 2013.
How are you protecting our fresh drinking water?
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