No Water = Big Problems

​“Imagine A Day Without Water” is today. For the past two weeks, I have been sending water conservation tips via Twitter and Facebook. This is my top 10 list of things I would miss the most if there was no drinkable water left in the world.

1. TOILETS – This is the first thing I would miss. When I watch a period piece on TV, I often think, “What does it smell like without a proper sewer system? And worse, what diseases are floating around without toilets?”
2. SHOWERS – Not showering is simply bad hygiene. Oily hair and increasing amounts of body bacteria are some of the side effects.
3. WASHING HANDS – This one is especially important for surgeons. Infections were very common before medical professionals started “scrubbing up.”
4. LAUNDRY – What would I do without clean clothes? Wear them until they got stinky and then throw them away?
5. COOKING – No water means no more pasta. Yikes!
6. FOOD – U.S. agriculture uses 80% of the country's consumed water.
7. TREES – Approximately 1/3 of Earth’s oxygen is produced by rain forests. I also love the sound of wind blowing through leaves.
8. INTERNET – Did you know that huge companies like Google use water to cool down their server farms? Without water, there is a good chance of meltdown.
9. FLORA – This is all plant life. I wouldn’t miss mushrooms all that much, but wouldn’t it be sad to never see another flower?
10. FAUNA – This is all animal life, including humans.

 
Huge problems happen without water because it’s our most precious natural resource. But thousands of people don’t realize that water is finite – meaning it doesn’t last forever. The more water we contaminate, the harder it is to clean, and at some point, the water becomes unusable. The world was horrified at what happened with Flint, Michigan, water. We need to be mindful of water usage and protect our water infrastructure. How? In the United States, make sure your federal and state representatives make water infrastructure a priority! On a personal level, try conserving where you can. How much water do you use?

​- Georgia Shaffer