World Water Day 2011

When my oldest grandson was seven, he was watching me brush my teeth one morning and unexpectedly burst into tears.  "Will there be any water left when I grow up?" he sobbed.

I had been running the water continuously as I was brushing.  They had been studying water conservation in school and he was distressed about the future.

It was a startling lesson for me.  I hadn’t thought about what I was doing.  I am normally vigilant about conserving natural resources, yet my momentary carelessness deeply disturbed each of us.

I dried his tears and hugged him.  We sat and talked for a long time about wasting water and what helps or prevents that situation.  He told me how circumstances looked from his 7-year-old perspective.  I promised not to become distracted ever again while brushing my teeth and needlessly waste water.

My grandson also questioned me about what I was doing to make certain that there would be enough water in the world in the future, not just for him but for his children and his grandchildren. 

A heavy question from a small boy with big worries…real worries and a question that sticks in my mind every time I turn on a tap.

We talked and talked and talked about that question.  Options and possibilities and what more can be done.

An article in the Times-Transcript this morning refreshed this memory.

It is World Water Day; learn more here.  The T&T article highlights a three-day conference in Toronto dealing with global water issues.

We appreciate the enormous amount of fresh water that exists in Canada, but are quite careless about wasting it through unnecessarily disposing of hair, bugs, household dirt, cigarette butts and food by flushing them down the toilet.

Each flush of a toilet uses six to 20 litres of fresh water…plus the energy used to move the water.  Almost half the water Canadians use is flushed down the toilet.

Think about this on World Water Day and every day. 

What are we doing to ensure that there is enough water in the world for everyone, now and in the future? 

My grandson wants to know!



In response to a comment.   Refer to article on Canada's Water :  http://www.portaec.net/library/ocean/water/canadas_water.html.

The question still remains:  What are we doing to ensure that there is enough water in the world for everyone, now and in the future?