DP: Water Conservation
Hello again!
As I mentioned in my previous post, my understanding of sustainability until I started the IMSD program has been on my experience with PepsiCo in environmental sustainability. Naturally, when someone mentioned sustainability, I thought environmental issues and on top of that, I thought how corporations do their part! I could have deducted from common knowledge about other forms of sustainability but I would not have been able to expand much more. This is one of the many reasons why I enjoy learning about this, because so much of it is new material for me and it has opened my mind up about the possibilities I have and the direction I’d like to take my career.
On Sustainability Issues
In my first project with PepsiCo I was part of a team that put together a competition in Latin American and the Caribbean called the Eco-Challenge. It sought out to create awareness about water conservation while promoting innovation and entrepreneurship. It consisted of two challenges: 1. To create a video game that educates about water conservation in an entertaining way and 2. Develop a solution for access to safe water.
Throughout the years, we evolved the Eco-Challenge to promote environmental awareness and solve environmental issues through business ideas. However, since the project started with water conservation, this topic remained close to me.
Let’s rewind back to that geography class where we first heard of the amount of accessible drinking water in the world. We learned that the earth is 70% water but out of that percentage, only 2% is fresh water and out of that, less then 1% of it is accessible for human use. These numbers are still shocking, but what is more shocking is how we tend undervalue water. If we are aware of such numbers then why do we act like we have water to spare?
One of the Millennium Development Goals is to reduce the amount of people who cannot reach or afford drinkable water by half for 2015. There needs to be collaborative work among governments, academics, industries, and organizations to reach the goal. This, however, is only part of the issue because water scarcity although already a problem in some countries, will be an inevitable global issue in the future, which is why there are so many things that could be done about water conservation. Currently 71% of water withdrawals are for agricultural purposes and 16% for industrial. These alone are two areas where water efficiency can and should play a big role. I believe that there is still much to be done to increase awareness on such a crucial issue.
Water conservation is evidently important but it doesn’t have to be applied just on big scale projects, it can also become part of one’s everyday life. By being aware and creating little changes throughout the day one can help create sustainable behaviors become the public norm. If everyone takes part then it just becomes part of a habit and routine.
People seem to forget that small changes can lead to an overall significant, positive improvement.
Every drop counts!
Check out some tips:
http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/index.php
Comments Off on DP: Water Conservation /
27 Nov 2012
por
Micaela Rossetti
IMSD /
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