FEBRUARY – MAY 2014 WL3- COLEGIUL ECONOMIC BUZAU, ROMANIA GTP Global Teenager Project

Our question was …

Could we be of any help in saving water for preserving the Earth for the future generation? We know that the Earth has 70% water. In spite of this huge quantity of water, scientists warn that in future mankind will have big problems with water supplies.

And you guys came up with some very interesting and complex responses.

First of all, why should we save water ? Obviously, to live. But to what extend ?

Water powers our days. We wake up and wash our face. Drink a glass of juice, grown with water. That piece of toast was made with water. Ride the bus to school of course water cools the engine of the bus. Read the textbook. Paper is made by adding water to wood pulp then staining it.

Yet, only 1 % of the water in the world is drinkable and accessible. So we have to conserve it. But we aren’t.

How can we preserve this precious resource? There are many ways for doing this, like : Buy fewer new clothes ( it takes liters of water to grow enough cotton for a single pair of blue jeans ) Conscientiously recycle everything your community accepts for recycling

Both at work and at home we can save water by: Running the dishwasher and clothes washer only when they are fully loaded Not letting the faucet open while : Washing our hands Brushing our teeth Shaving Washing vegetables Having showers Water your lawn and garden in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to help minimize evaporation

A typical household waste approximately liters of water every day.

There are people in the world that survive on much less than what we have. Just because we have the water does not mean we should waste it.

How many Jacuzzis do we need? Do we need that swimming pool? How about that water gun? Fact is, we are using too much. Think first. What should we be using water most on? Drinking, of course, or eating.

Consumer use is just half of the battle of threats. Pollution, chemical spills, acid rain, poison are also threatening our water. How does that happen ?

Well, companies, usually big ones, want to increase profit. One costly thing is disposing of waste. Cutting corners is easier, quicker, and cheaper. Why not dump the fertilizer into the river? It’ll go away… No harm done…

Harm is done. It makes vegetation grow in bursts, and clouds water. The water will disappear from the weight of plants. Then, animals will eat tainted plants, and will grow deformed or sickly. Is this not harm ? There are acts, but we cannot enforce and catch all offenders, then arrest them with sufficient evidence.

Some acts, like the Clean Water Act, are not signed by all countries in the world. Some countries are corrupt, or are too poor to enforce proper dumping regulations. We must do our part, to give back what they are talking.

So yes. We can help to save water for future generations. But will we all ?

No. Of course not. So we must do our part.

If each of us does something, even small, to save water we can delay the inevitable loss of water.