Water

Why is water important?

1. Life on Earth began with water.

2. 70% of animals and plants are composed of water. Water sustains life.

3. The water cycle provides for a clean and uncontaminated supply of water.

4. Water provides an environment for living things.

5. Water is needed by people for drinking, cleaning, swimming, boating, fishing, cooking, farming, manufacturing a variety of products, and many other uses.

Did you know that?

1. 75% of the pollution entering oceans worldwide comes from human activity on land.
   1. 14,000,000,000 lbs. of sewage.
   2. 100,000,000 tons of plastic
   3. 165,710 tons of ship garbage.
   4. 1 to 10,000,000 tons of oil.

2. A ten-minute shower can use 100 gallons or 378 liters of water.

3. Approximately 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans. Over 97% of all water is salty whereas 3% is fresh water. 75% of the fresh water is frozen in polar ice caps and glaciers and 22% lies underground as ground water and about 1/100 of 1% is found in lakes, streams, ponds and inside plants and animals.

4. More than 90% of the world's total supply of drinkable water is ground water, water which fills the cracks and the spaces in rocks and sediments beneath the surface of the earth.

5. The amount of water in the world stays the same and is constantly circulating between the oceans, the atmosphere and land.

6. There are 1.8 billion people in the developing world (excluding China) without access to fresh water.

How can students be more sustainable?

1. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.

2. Wash dishes by filling the sink with soapy water instead of leaving the water running.

3. Wash the car by turning the hose off except when you are rinsing.

4. Take short showers instead of baths.

5. Fill your glass with only what you will drink.

6. Have your parents buy a low-flow shower head. (Low-flow shower heads reduce water use by 50% or more.)

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