Generation AWAKE - WATER

2014: Imagine all the WATER - please see Generation AWAKE

Water: a vital resource
Water is plentiful in some parts of Europe and scarce in others, but wherever you live it pays to be aware of your water use and to avoid wasting it where possible. Water is a finite resource. It has to be treated to make it safe for drinking, and wastewater must be processed before it is returned to the environment: both activities consume energy and other resources. Looking to a future of greater water scarcity, more unpredictable weather events, and an increased global demand for fresh water, it is important that we all use water more efficiently, both in our direct and indirect use.

It’s easy to see where you might be wasting water directly, and take steps to change your behaviour. You can take a shower instead of a bath, fit a water-saving shower-head, install water-saving toilets and other domestic appliances, fix leaky taps and toilets quickly, turn off taps when cleaning your teeth and collect rainwater to water the garden. And there are obvious 'don'ts', too: don't use your loo as a wet bin, and don't pour paint or other environmentally harmful substances down the drain.

Indirect water consumption is mainly invisible, and this means you probably use far more water than you think. That's because water is used to produce pretty much everything. When you buy a bag of potatoes from your local store, for example, the direct water use is the water you use to prepare, wash and boil the potatoes. But the indirect use is all the water used throughout the supply chain to produce the potato in the first place: the months of irrigation, transport, fuels for the machinery and so on. Many companies are starting to calculate and publicise the water footprint of their products, and if you choose products with smaller footprints, you're probably doing the environment a favour. Find out more about indirect and direct water usage in our Water Guide (http://www.imagineallthewater.eu).

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Only 3% of the water on the planet is FRESH WATER. This report makes the case for an integrated water management, starting with better implementation of existing legislation. Clean water is a vitally important natural resource, demanding careful management. It is essential for life and integral to virtually all economic activities, including producing food, energy and industrial outputs. The availability of clean water in sufficient quantities is not only a prerequisite for human health and well-being but also essential for freshwater ecosystems and the many services that they provide.

For more on this report and the importance of water management visit...

 Piped-in water is one of the hallmarks of civilization itself....

 Europe’s freshwater supplies are under pressure. To improve the understanding and management of water resources, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has created a comprehensive series of map layers showing hydrological features. The tool, providing support to policy makers, spans river catchments from Iceland to the edge of the Persian Gulf. More...

Water: Quenching a Global Thirst-What are Irish NGOs doing about it?
	Water.pdf (67.4 KB)
Published March 13th 2012 - Towards efficient use of water resources in Europe
	Towards_efficient_use_of_water_resources.pdf (3.79 MB)