Change a little,
change a lot

March 7, 2014: In readiness for March 17-23 Fix A Leak Week.

We turn on the faucet and there it is: water. 

In the United States of America, most of us don’t consider the value of this resource.

Water may soon become the world’s most valuable natural resource.  According to an August 2013 Forbes Magazine article, water use in cities in America has increased by 500% since 1950.
In addition, as some cities are seeing a higher demand for water, the nearby streams and rivers are drying up.

For instance, a 2007 drought in the Southeast saw the primary sources for water in and around the city of Atlanta dry up.  The public water utility was just weeks from running out of drinking water.

Fast forward to 2014 in West Virginia where a chemical spill caused a regional water state of emergency.  A chemical called crude MCHM was released into the Elk River by Freedom Industries, Inc.  The spill cut off the supply of fresh drinking water for 300,000 folk in the area.  This was the third such spill in the last five years.

We take this precious resource, water, for granted.  Considering that only about 2% of the water on the planet is considered “fresh”, why aren’t we all doing more to protect this resource?

This author is as guilty as anyone concerning this issue. Often we do things, like washing dishes under a running faucet, without a second thought – because we’ve always done them this way …..

We are to be stewards of the resources we have so that the cycle will continue for future generations.  The growth in world population, as well as the demand for more resources, makes it ever more challenging to reduce our demand.  But it is my belief that each of us can change a little, and in doing so we can change a lot.

• Let the lawn go brown.  Landscaping accounts for about half the fresh water used in California.
• Spend less time in the shower.
• Turn the water off when brushing your teeth.
• Capture rain water for non-potable water uses.
• Fix the leaky toilet.
• Use the dishwasher, but fill it up.  An automatic dishwasher can use half the amount of water that hand washing will consume.
• Reduce, reuse, and recycle.

There are a lot of other things that we can do and it begins with education. Wastewater Education, where I am proud to serve on the Board of Directors  is an organization dedicated to teaching the public about the importance of the world’s most precious resource: fresh water.

I encourage you to help us in our campaign to promote good habits to conserve and protect the bodies of water and aquifers for future generations.

Sam Lines, MBA
Concrete Sealants, Inc.
Sales Engineer/Safety Director/Lean Coordinator