Saturday, December 10, 2011

Water is the source of life - treasure it! R5.


Water is the source of life - treasure it! R5.

Water is the source of all life on earth. It touches every area of our lives. Without it, we could not thrive — we could not even survive.

Sustainability – “We strive to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
We should discourage wastefulness and misuse, and promote efficiency and conservation.
"Conservation is really the cheapest source of supply,"
For the benefit of mankind, maintain the quality of life and preserve the peace and tranquility of world population.  Water resources must be preserved - to sustain humanity.  We must eliminate wasteful utilization of water, conserve our water sources and implement rigid conservation methods. We should utilize solar and or other source of renewable energy to operate desalinization projects from the oceans. Utilize renewable energy sources to purify and transport the water to its final destination.  As world population increases the scarcity of water will become a cause for conflict, unless we take steps now to develop other sources of water for drinking, rainwater harvesting – storm-water and gray-water utilization. Designing of landscaping that uses minimal amount of water. 
"With power shortages and a water scarcity a constant threat across the West, it's time to look at water and energy in a new way,"                                     
To preserve the future generations sustainability, we should look into urban farming – vertical farming. The term "urban farming" may conjure up a community garden where locals grow a few heads of lettuce. But some academics envision something quite different for the increasingly hungry world of the 21st century: a vertical farm that will do for agriculture what the skyscraper did for office space. Greenhouse giant: By stacking floors full of produce, a vertical farm could rake in $18 million a year.
"To succeed, you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality."

YJ Draiman, Energy, Telecom and water conservation consultant
March 31, 2011
PS.

Hydro dynamics: forget oil. Sharing freshwater equitably poses political conundrums as explosive and far-reaching as global climate change. 
Quoted from other sources
Anyone who has ever stood on a beach and looked out into the vast expanse of an ocean knows that there is a lot of water on this planet. In fact, 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water. It may seem like water is all around us, but safe, clean, reliable drinking water is not a cease­less resource. The problems facing drinking water range from failing infrastructure, to climate change, to insufficient supplies.

Personal Conservation
Preserving our water resources is not a job for water industry professionals alone. We all have a vested interest in ensuring that water remains safe, af­fordable and available. Therefore, each individual American has a responsibility to monitor and control their water use, There are many simple ways for people to reduce excess water use, lower water bills and protect the environment, espe­cially in die spring and summer months, Beyond the standard constraints of watering the lawn only when neces­sary and washing car wisely by using soap and a bucket of water, some steps include: draining water lines to outside faucets, disconnecting hoses, shutting off outdoor water sources during cold weather and running a small trickle of water on whiter nights to prevent pipe from freezing.
Conclusion
Water supply management is an issue that affects us all. It may not be apparent to every citizen today, but with climate change and population shifts transforming the United States, it soon will be. Effective solutions need to be put into place today before we are faced with a water crisis. A focus on careful planning, treatments, innova­tions and conservation measures will help to create stability for long-term water management. Commitment to keeping water at the top of the list for communities and citizens will better prepare us for whatever the future of water holds.

WATER!
The indispensable source of life-without water there would be no industry, no agriculture and, most importantly of all, no life. In dry parts of the world this essential commodity is even more precious. Almost all human actions involve water from taking a shower to reading a newspaper to driving a car or simply eating a sandwich - almost everything we do or touch is somehow related to this precious treasure.  We ask that you stop and think how you use water and what you can do to conserve this essential natural resource.
*Water, beliefs and customs,
*Water as a vehicle of the economy,
*Water, source of art and life, irrigation and cultivation.
The people have decided to act to try and develop a real awareness program on the theme of water preservation and distribution in an attempt to help maintain the original purity of rivers and streams.
In many parts of the world water sources and wells are not equally distributed. Water as a source of life can also be at the source of conflict.
Whether we live in India, Iceland or the Atlas… we have always tried to trap and tame water. Dams, pumps, canals, water treatment centers; there are so many different ways to exploit this resource that we often forget how fragile this unique and essential treasure actually is.
Unfortunately, many of the things we do every day can harm our water. That’s why all people and government should be working with municipalities, farmers, business leaders and developers just like you to take action to protect our water and clean it up.
Small changes can make a big difference. This guide outlines practical things we can all do to preserve and protect our water. We all need to be part of the solution.
Concentrated Solar Power, which requires no solar panels at all. It works by concentrating sunlight onto a small pipe using cheap parabolic reflectors. The pipe contains a liquid that’s heated to very high temperatures by the sun and drives a steam boiler that rotates a turbine to generate electricity (much like nuclear power plants, but without the nuclear waste). It’s cheap, low-tech, and far more affordable than solar power. Plus, it can be built in practically any desert, so it doesn’t take up valuable land. As another bonus, when CSP operations are built near the ocean, they can desalinate ocean water as a side effect, providing fresh water for irrigation to grow food. This is the only renewable energy technology I know of that can produce cheap energy, fresh water and crop irrigation all at the same time. Plus, it has no emissions, no toxic chemicals, no nuclear waste and very little environmental impact..
“You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today” - Abraham Lincoln said it.
“That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest” –       Henry David Thoreau.
“To waste, to destroy, our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed” – Theodore Roosevelt.
“When the ‘study of the household’ (ecology) and the ‘management of the household’ (economics) can be merged, and when ethics can be extended to include ‘environmental’ as well as human values, then we can be optimistic about the future of mankind. Accordingly, bringing together these three E’s is the ultimate holism and the great challenge for our future” – Eugene Odum.

Water, it’s been said, is the "oil of the 21st century" -- a commodity whose availability and quality may be subject to both known and unknown influences. For companies, that poses significant risks, and many companies are making water a strategic issue, creating water management plans that include efficiency and conservation as well as contingency plans should water become less available or more costly. Many firms are examining their products, policies, and processes through the lens of a world in which the availability of water becomes a constraint to doing business.

Water Conservation


Water Conservation

Other water facts

A person can live weeks without food, but only days without water.
University of California at Davis "Scripts," January 2001. Quoted at "Water Facts," www.water.org
A person needs 4 to 5 gallons of water per day to survive.

The Sphere Project Handbook "Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response."
Quoted at "Water Facts," www.water.org. Les Roberts "Diminishing Standards: How Much Water Do We Need?" {in Forum: Water and War, International Committee of the Red Cross 1988. Quoted at "Water Facts," www.water.org.
The average American individual uses 100 to 176 gallons of water at home each day. The average African family uses about 5 gallons of water each day.-- U . S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet "Water Q&A: Water Use at Home." Quoted at "Water Facts," http://www.water.org/
World Resources Institute, 1988-99 and 1996-97. "A Guide to the Global Environment." Quoted at "Water Facts," www.water.org.

Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. -- Estimate derived from statistics in 2006 United Nations Human Development Report. Quoted at "Water Facts," http://www.water.org/.
Across the world, water-related diseases are the leading cause of death for children under the age of 5.-- World Health Organization. World Health Report 2003. Quoted at "Water Facts," http://www.water.org/.
At any given time, half the world's hospital beads are occupied by patient suffering from water-related diseases.-- 2006 United Nations Human Development Report. Quoted at "Water Facts," http://www.water.org/
Nearly 97 percent of the world's water is saltwater or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2 percent is held in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves just one percent for all of humanity's needs - agricultural, residential, industrial, etc. - as freshwater.--United States Geological Survey
Additionally, there is approximately the same amount of water on Earth today as there was when the Earth was formed. Water is continually recycled in the Earth's hydrologic cycle. Just think - the dinosaurs once drank the same water molecules that we drink today.
Water serves several functions. It regulates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, and protects organs and tissues. The human brain is 75 percent water. Human blood is 83 percent water and bones are 25 percent water.--American Water Works Association
Water is also vital to the health of our planet, regulating Earth's temperature. Each day, the sun evaporates 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) tons of water.--United States Geological Survey
In a 100-year period, an average water molecule spends 98 years in the ocean, 20 months as ice, about two weeks in lakes and rivers, and less than a week in the atmosphere.--United States Geological Survey
In fact, one inch of rain falling on one acre of land is equal to about 27,154 gallons of water.--United States Geological Survey
While this process can purify and clean Earth's water, when we pollute our freshwater, it can be a long-term problem. Groundwater can stay polluted up to several thousand years. Also consider that:
  • At least 1 billion people must walk three hours or more to obtain drinking water. For example, in Mexico, 15 percent of the population must haul or carry water. Even closer to home, nearly 2 percent of U.S. homes still do not have running water-- National Geographic Society
  • Households turn on their faucets an average of 70 times daily. It is estimated that up to 50 percent of the water families use could be saved by implementing simple conservation methods.--National Drinking Water Alliance
  • The 250 million U.S. residents living today have access to about the same amount of water that all 4 million U.S. residents did 200 years ago.--National Drinking Water Alliance
  • If present consumption patterns continue, two out of every three people on Earth will live in water-stressed conditions by the year 2025. --United Nations Environment Program
How to Protect Freshwater
Conservation
Limit the time you spend watering the lawn, showering, running the garbage disposal and running faucets.
Fix leaky faucets. One drip a second can waste 2,000 gallons a year.
Buy water-efficient plumbing fixtures. If all plumbing fixtures in the United States were replaced with water-conserving fixtures, we could save 3.4 to 8.4 billion gallons of water a day.
Use moderate amounts of low phosphate cleaners and detergents. Eliminate the use of drain cleaners. Use recycled products.
Protection
Wash your car on the lawn instead of the driveway. Water that lands on an impermeable surface, such as pavement, flows through the watershed to the nearest body of water and deposits its contaminants. Your lawn, on the other hand, can trap and break down most foreign agents.
Limit the use of lawn fertilizers, and be sure to use only phosphorus-free fertilizer. Most lawns already have sufficient phosphorus and when more is added, it runs through the watershed and causes algae growth in surrounding lakes.
Education
Realize that many human activities affect water quality. Wetlands, groundwater and waterways are destroyed by construction, polluted runoff and spills. Population growth only intensifies these impacts.
Become an educated consumer. Buy recycled, environmentally friendly products.
Learn to recognize and become knowledgeable about aquatic nuisance species. Exotic invaders (such as Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels and thousands more) cause habitat destruction, decrease biological diversity and cause millions of dollars of damage in the United States each year.
Transition
Rethink your daily habits and help reduce water pollution and water use. Bike, walk or carpool to help reduce the production of toxic air pollutants that can cause acid rain.
Turn down the water heater temperature and home thermostat to reduce your energy usage and help curb pollutants that cause acid rain.
Finally, share your knowledge with others. Try to remember that our actions have a widespread impact on the lasting quality of freshwater resources. We can, and must, make a difference.