Water


 * Water…Did you know??? **

What many people probably know is that the earth is made up of a little over 70 percent of water. (Allaboutwater.org) So then what’s the problem? Well, what many people many not know is that of all the water on the earth, humans can use only about three percent of this water. Unfortunately, two of that three percent is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and ice caps. This means we are only left with about one percent of freshwater.

This may still be a little hard to imagine, so picture this: All of Earth’s water is squeezed into a one gallon container (like a gallon of milk). The gallon is then flipped upside-down where the water comes pouring out. Enough water is let out so that it can fill just the cap from the gallon container. Then two thirds of the water in the cap gets spilled out, leaving only droplets—which is ALL of our usable freshwater.

> shower or tub.
 * A typical U.S household wastes more than 8,000 to 14,000 gallons of water per year just waiting for hot water in the sink,

> the lowest. But when population is taken into account the picture looks very different. > > (The New Internationalist)
 * Water, just like population, isn’t distributed evenly. Asia has the greatest annual availability of fresh-water and Australia

> living near Lake Michigan don’t realize how little water there actually is)
 * Taking a look closer to home, Lake Michigan holds 20 percent of all the worlds accessible freshwater. (This is why people

.
 * Today, at least 400 million people live in regions with severe water shortages
 * Freshwater animals are disappearing five times faster than land animals. Remember, many animals need freshwater too.

> actually takes up the largest amount of this water.
 * The average person in the United States uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Believe it or not, flushing the toilet


 * A person pays about 25 cents for water use on a daily basis.


 * Of the total volume of water in the great lakes, only one percent is renewed within the lakes each year through surface water, groundwater and precipitation.

___

** How can I be a Water Friendly citizen? **

 §  By shortening your shower by merely one to two minutes, you’ll save up to 150 gallons of water per month

§ Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full, it will save you up to 1,000 gallons of water per month.

§ Collect the water you use for rinsing fruits and vegetables, then reuse it to water plants.

§ Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Turning off the water while you brush your teeth can save you 25 gallons of water per month.

**<span style="color: #4ac44a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">If these tips weren’t convincing enough then just remember: When you save water, you save money on your utility bills!! !**

What's happening to the Great Lakes?

media type="youtube" key="DoX3405BGpI" height="344" width="425" align="center"

media type="youtube" key="4MDLpVHY8LE" height="340" width="560" align="center"