Eco ChurcH
Eco Blog by Chris Marshall (Member of our church)
Give thanks for the gift of water!
With the rather wet weather we have experienced throughout the year it is difficult to appreciate the true value of clean running water. We take turning on our taps so much for granted but when there is a problem with the supply, we are only too quick to complain.
Our lifestyles mean we really can’t fully appreciate the essential commodity, that is water, which we have so freely. We drink it, cook with it, swim in it, wash our clothes and cars with it and flush our toilets with it. Yet 60% of the world’s population live in places where there is not a sustainable amount of water, essential for growing food, keeping livestock and flushing away diseases. Yes, we must hold water companies to account for polluting our precious streams, rivers and oceans and for the waste through lack of investment in maintenance of infrastructure but we too have a part to play in protecting this vital resource.
The greatest amount of water on the planet is used by factories making products that we buy. A large bar of chocolate uses 1,700 litres of water in the production process, that’s the equivalent to 12 baths of water. Other foods such as beef and chicken, avocados, mangoes and almonds are extremely high in their water consumption and the process of making jeans and cotton items is also very water intensive.
Next time you turn on the tap or go shopping, try to think about how much water you actually need to use or how much water that product took to make. Can you purchase something that takes less water to process or just cut back on those treats occasionally? We can’t stop using water, we just perhaps need to appreciate its value more.
Water is a life-giving gift from God, let’s use it well.