The video below shows that it takes 5 seconds to fill up 500 mL of water. If that was multiplied by 6 five second intervals, (which is 30 seconds) then you would be wasting around 3000 milliliters of water per brush. Do that twice a day and then you would be using 6000 mL a day! Turn off the water when you brush!
Good news for New York State. On April 7th, the Governor of New York State announced that the State Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors has approved more than $189 million in funding for nine municipalities and public authorities for critical wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects. The purpose of these projects is to modernize the water systems to ensure safe drinking water for all New Yorkers. The nine municipal regions are the Capital Region, Central NY, Mid-Hudson area, Long Island, Mohawk Valley, New York City, the North Country area, and the Southern Tier area.
The Environmental Facilities Corporation is urging municipalities to participate in the Environmental Protection Agency Clean Watersheds Needs Survey which was kicked off in New York on March 1.
This should improve the water systems in New York over time.
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-189-million-fund-water-infrastructure-projects
Water is an essential part of the human experience. We are made of water. We use water to drink. We use water to clean. We use water to cook. We use water to bathe. In fact, the origins of life on earth stem from the water itself. Water is essential for life on earth, however, it is being jeopardized by the huge amounts of pollution that humans are creating. Companies and industries are particularly bad for producing waste that ends up in our water. This is a serious threat to human health. Unbelievably “Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined” (Denchak). While citizens of developed countries may not think twice about the water that they drink, and how they get it, citizens of developing countries are still at risk of being poisoned by unhealthy water. Many people believe that water is a basic human right. In my opinion, the fact that Americans use 5 times more than the global average is pretty sad. Access to water is a human rights issue as well. Another huge problem is that the vast majority of water on earth is not drinkable. Most of the water on earth is saltwater that cannot be used as a drinking source for humans and “Less than 1 percent of the earth’s fresh water is actually accessible to us”. This means that the amount of freshwater that we have as a resource for the almost 8 billion people here on earth is very limited. While the human population continues to grow, eventually it will get to the point where there simply is not enough water for everyone on earth. This is a very depressing thought to me. I believe that developed counties have a responsibility to help provide developing countries with access to water. If the United States wants to be a great country, it must act like one.
Works Cited:
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know
Over the past few centuries, or since the start of industrialization, the Earth’s climate has been changing. A great factor in this is the “greenhouse effect”, caused by the emission of greenhouse gases into the air. The water resources of Earth including its lakes and rivers have taken a massive hit from this. Some of the major effects that are created due to the increase of greenhouse gases are, increased water temperatures which leads to more evaporation and creates a climate more suitable for harmful pathogens, less oxygen in the water which also kills a large portion of animals, and more algal blooms that are contributing to the lack of oxygen. Some of these bodies of water may be beyond saving, but there is still a chance to save many. To do this there must be a reduction of all greenhouse gases, but this will take time. It is very interesting and scary to think about how driving your car can impact a river miles away. One example that I have seen that could be beneficial is constructing new energy plants well below the earth’s surface, which according to the EPA, “With proper site selection and management, geologic sequestration could play a major role in reducing the net emissions of CO2”.
Works Cited:
https://cfpub.epa.gov/watertrain/pdf/modules/climate_change_module.pdf
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