Clean, safe water is critical for cooking, drinking, sanitation, and agriculture. An expanding world population, industrialization, urbanization, inefficient water use, and the threat of climate change are among factors that are putting an unsustainable demand on water, with serious human and environmental consequences.
According to the World Health Organization, one-third of the world’s population — over 2 billion people — lack enough water to meet their daily needs (World Health Organization). Water scarcity forces people to use unsafe sources of water, and makes it so they cannot properly bathe or clean, which can lead to severe health problems.
Water quality is also a critical planet-wide concern. Every day, an estimated 14,000 to 30,000 people die from avoidable water-related diseases (World Water Council), and these numbers are expected to climb.
In the U.S., dwindling freshwater sources and rising demand are likely to mean widespread shortages in many states (MSNBC). Rising global temperatures increase water evaporation and have already reduced the availability of freshwater. Climate change increases the threat of drought. At the same time, a growing population, sprawl, and inefficient water use have stepped up demand. For example, while the U.S average is 600 liters of water per person per day, almost one-third of the world’s population — 1.8 billion people — get by on just 20 liters a day (Shah).
Increased water use by people profoundly affects aquatic ecosystems. According to the World Commission on Water for the 21st Century, "More than one-half of the world's major rivers are being seriously depleted and polluted, degrading and poisoning the surrounding ecosystems, thus threatening the health and livelihood of people who depend upon them for irrigation, drinking, and industrial water" (World Water Council, "Water and Nature").
We depend on healthy ecosystems to produce our freshwater resources. Wetlands, forests and other ecosystems retain and restore water, and help to filter and purify it. These processes take time, however, and when faced with dramatic changes they simply cannot keep up. Water and air pollution, habitat loss, and poor land use threaten vital water resources, and all of us who depend on them.
While limited, water is renewable — and potentially sustainable.
Schools are heavy users of water, and can conserve much more efficiently. The school's practices become part of student learning and create a context for thinking about global water issues. A study of schools built to green standards showed a reduction of 32 percent in water use (Kats).
Among the steps taken to reduce the use of water, especially freshwater, include:
Drought-resistant landscaping that does not require watering
Drip irrigation systems
Water catchment systems that reduce excess flow off campus and retain water for use in irrigation and flushing toilets
Waterless urinals and low-flow toilets
Vegetative swales that replace paved curbing and create a "sponge" that slows down water flow
Recycling of gray water
Living roofs that capture rainfall
Timers on showers in dormitories
Living Machines™ for nature-based water treatment
References cited in this article may be found in "References" in the Resources page of our website.