Value: I value water a lot because it is so vital to the environment and people. it fills our cells and our body as well as allows for life on Earth. I hope that water conservation is taken more seriously, especially since climate change is changing the reliability of water sources and droughts floods and other extreme climate events are becoming more frequent. Also, in the preparation material for the class, the value of water was put into perspective when it was said that almost 2 billion people will be facing water insecurity and over 1 billion already do throughout the world and how they have to travel great distances to get water daily instead of focusing on school or education or working.
Vision: I envision that in the future, everybody has access to clean drinking water through government, and private projects like those seen in the videos capable of operating at a local scale such as the magic water box. I also hope that water is priced appropriately and externalities are addressed. I think having a basic amount for each person for free and then having a metered system where funds are used to help water conservation projects or to fund projects to increase water supply. I also think that collecting rainwater falling on roofs and using it for watering plants or toilet water systems would be great but realistically need government or private support to implement.
Action: I will personally try to take shorter showers, eliminate baths, reduce my water usage and support policies aimed at water conservation and equality. I also will try to be more conscious of the things I consume and the ethical practices of the company and try to support those that are sustainable. I also want to support fixing leaky pipes because almost 40 percent of water is lost as well as support farmers who optimize water usage sustainably because that's where most water is used.
Hi, I’m really impressed by what you are trying to do in our daily life. I think it is important to take actions first and start from the small things instead of only focusing on the bigger picture. Saving water is a good habit and it is possible for us to influence others through our own actions. We have to take the responsibility of saving our own life, our own future generations, and our own planet. It seems that there is no any other way.
Hi Bhavin,
I really appreciated the opening of your post and how you made the connection between the need for water on an environmental level all the way down to the cellular level. I also hope for a future where everyone has reliable and safe access to water and I hope that we can reach that goal through policy changes and conservation efforts. Your point about leaky pipes was very interesting and was something I hadn't thought of. This is definitely an actionable way to combat water waste!
Climate change will definitely impact the availability of clean water in the future, we are already seeing the trajectory of what can happen. While rainwater was a great source of drinking water in the past it isnt that safe today due to pollution and microplastics that contaminate our air, some sort of filtration would have to be used.
Hello Bhavin! It's disheartening to hear that such a large amount of people currently don't have secure access to water and that there will almost double the amount of people without secure access to water even though it is, as you said, vital for life. However, on a brighter note, I really like the idea of collecting rainwater from roofs! This is a great way to improve sustainability- we just need to bring enough awareness to this topic for the government to create the changes we want to see.
Fixing the leaking pipes is really great, many people don't understand this, but plumbing is a problem that every country can't solve by racking their brains, this is really a very good offer.
I am also very interested in the system for collecting rainwater falling on roofs. I know there is one commode that can use hand-washing water in Japan, this is a good and simple system to reuse water at home. I hope in the future there are more water reusing system.
Hi Bhavin Patel, your post is very succinct! I like how your action items are proposed at both the individual level and larger scale. I myself play to use cold water more frequently when washing my clothes and air drying them. I didn't know about the leaky pipe fact that is so interesting, is that water able to be recovered somehow in our earth's systems? It is astonishing how the vast majority of our water is allocated towards agriculture, so I agree a lot of changes can be made to make our crops more sustainable.
Great post Bhavin! Your "Action" section really resonated with me as I am definitely guilty of taking long showers as well as baths lol. In all seriousness though, i really thought your comment on fixing leaky pipes and optimizing water usage in a farming setting was super valuable to mention. I know for myself, growing up on the prairies and around family farms as well as farming communities, water usage is definitely taken for granted even if majority of the water comes from your own grown water table. Unfortunately, for most of these farmers it would take something like "DAY 0" to really have them evaluate the excessive consumption of water issue. Therefore, I think it is super necessary to support and spread the word about farmers who value water usage sustainability as it is not only a good thing but it helps let other farmers know what can happen if we don't treat water as a fixed resource.
Definitely interesting to hear about the fact that 40% of water loss is from leaky pipes. My vision is that we all need to collectively reduce water usage. One day out of every month should be dedicated to reducing our daily water consumption.
Hi Bhavin! Before reading your post I hadn't really considered how much climate change will also influence and even exacerbate the water crises. I think it's important to realise as events related to climate change like hurricanes could influence wells and other fresh water drinking facilities and make the problem worse.
I never realized just how much of our water is wasted with leaky pipes. There needs to be more governmental action to ensure that a municipalities pipes and water system is up to date and functioning well, because this is just an extremely sad waste.
I like the idea that individual actions (like what you said about bathing) can actually contribute to water conservation. But I think I would like to do some publicity or demonstration if possible, because if the government understands this and is willing to introduce relevant policies, willing to invest in the construction of water facilities and research and development of new technology related to water resources, it will be much more than our individual contribution. I like the idea but maybe it would be more effective to make more people aware of it.
I think your vision is really interesting to me as you mention about the right for everyone to access clean water. I also think that education can play a role in teaching the younger genreration of waterconsumption methods.
What an important vision. Access to clean drinking water should be available to all- I view it as a basic human right. Starting with changes we can make in our day to day lives is a great place to start on the journey to sustainable water consumption!