Water is a magnificent invention that allows us to thrive as a species on this planet. It also allows for life to exist deep within the oceans that engulf the Earth. But water comes at an alarming price, especially for third-world countries that do not have the luxuries like we do here in the United States. An estimated 3.9 trillion gallons of water are consumed in the United States per month. Yes, you did not misread that statement - per month. This massive water consumption has become the basis of our society and our usage of clean water has become somewhat overwhelming. On the other side of the coin, an 2.4 billion people lack adequate sanitation of water and 1.1 billion are without access to safe water according to waterinfo.org.
Not only is our consumption of clean water excessively high, but the amount of money we pay for that water is relatively low in comparison to the rest of the world. The average American household uses roughly 127,400 gallons of water during the period of one year. For that amount of water, the price is about $350 U.S. dollars, but if one were to go to an underdeveloped country like, say, Guatemala, you could see yourself paying an upwards of $1,700 for that water. This rise in price is absolutely ridiculous and the fact that so many of these countries die of starvation and dehydration due to our country's ignorance of the problem is a tragedy in itself.
Although, some people who are in "power", or at least have some sort of influence among Americans, like Matt Damon, are putting up a fight.
"You will never solve poverty without first solving water and sanitation." -Matt Damon
When Damon went to Africa in 2006, he saw the awful reality of what dehydration can do to an underdeveloped country. Ever since he returned to the U.S., he has made it a point, both publicly and personally, to help clean the water of other countries and make it more accessible for impoverished people. He has partnered up with Gary White, an engineer and water specialist, to form the nonprofit organization known as Water.org in 2009. So far more than 370,000 loans have been given out, affecting more than 1.6 million people across the U.S. who are poor or who cannot afford to search for water, according to Yahoo! news.
Doing your part in saving water is actually quite simple. You can simply stop using excessive water when you brush your teeth, take a shower, do the dishes or clean your car. It's not like you need all of the water running when you're doing small tasks, just switch off the faucet. Small steps will create change and provide for even greater water usage across the world. We must take into consideration the people we're affecting every time we use more water than we need. Together we can truly change the way water is used and how people have access to it.
Not only is our consumption of clean water excessively high, but the amount of money we pay for that water is relatively low in comparison to the rest of the world. The average American household uses roughly 127,400 gallons of water during the period of one year. For that amount of water, the price is about $350 U.S. dollars, but if one were to go to an underdeveloped country like, say, Guatemala, you could see yourself paying an upwards of $1,700 for that water. This rise in price is absolutely ridiculous and the fact that so many of these countries die of starvation and dehydration due to our country's ignorance of the problem is a tragedy in itself.
Although, some people who are in "power", or at least have some sort of influence among Americans, like Matt Damon, are putting up a fight.
"You will never solve poverty without first solving water and sanitation." -Matt Damon
When Damon went to Africa in 2006, he saw the awful reality of what dehydration can do to an underdeveloped country. Ever since he returned to the U.S., he has made it a point, both publicly and personally, to help clean the water of other countries and make it more accessible for impoverished people. He has partnered up with Gary White, an engineer and water specialist, to form the nonprofit organization known as Water.org in 2009. So far more than 370,000 loans have been given out, affecting more than 1.6 million people across the U.S. who are poor or who cannot afford to search for water, according to Yahoo! news.
Doing your part in saving water is actually quite simple. You can simply stop using excessive water when you brush your teeth, take a shower, do the dishes or clean your car. It's not like you need all of the water running when you're doing small tasks, just switch off the faucet. Small steps will create change and provide for even greater water usage across the world. We must take into consideration the people we're affecting every time we use more water than we need. Together we can truly change the way water is used and how people have access to it.