I’ve got water on the brain, figuratively, this rainy International Water Day…and I have mixed feelings of concern, and gratitude.
It concerns me that although glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, water privatization is an issue, and water contamination continues to plague the world – even 17 years after the formal declaration by The United Nations, International Water Day – March 22 – seems to be only a small drip in the daily news cycle. Yet this year’s theme, Clean Water for a Healthy World makes me feel grateful and fortunate to be able to simply turn a faucet and either bathe or drink water, freely.
According to the World Health Organization, (WHO), 4 billion cases of diarrhea each year in addition to millions of other cases of illness are associated with lack of access to water that is safe for human consumption. Per year 2.2 million people die as a result of diarrhea most of them are children under the age of five. Human health is severely impacted by water-related diseases (waterborne, water-washed, water-based, and water-related vector-borne infections) as well as by chemical pollution discharged to water.
As a New Yorker, I’m truly impressed by our daily access to tap water, as well as its rather low level of contaminants. But a few years ago tested our water, found some impurities, and conducted an extensive search to find the best way to filter our home’s tap water. We wholeheartedly recommend ZeroWater’s water Tester Meter and Z-Pitcher for filtering your kitchen’s tap water. And a Lifekind shower filter to ensure healthy bathing…we love the addition of the handy wand on a particular one of their Shower De-chlorinators.
You can pickup the ZeroWater items on our OpenSky shop; and we’d love to know what you think of them. At this time, we don’t offer the Lifekind shower filter, but you can learn more about it, here.
For filtered tap water on the go, we also recommend (and sell) the Water Geeks stainless steel, BPA-free, reusable water bottle with a built-in filter that’s easily replaceable, as needed. The Water Geeks bottle may be a bit pricier than other reusable bottles, but bear in mind that you can refill that bottle with tap water ANYwhere, and be assured that it’s clean and fresh-tasting…note: it’s available in 2 sizes and many different colors.
Water Day or not — let’s all strive to appreciate and conserve as much or this precious commodity as we can.
Related: previously on altCon – Useful links to inspire action – Is Your Glass Half-full?
Free and Easy Ways to Conserve Water
garbage island – a sea of floating toxicity
Check out the film, FLOW…you’ll never buy another bottle of water.
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I know that tap water in Scotland, where I currently live, is very clean and healthy, but somehow I can’t force myself to drink it. It makes me physically sick, although is only matter of psychology.