Of all the water on the planet, roughly 97 percent of it is unusable, or difficult to desalinate salt water. This leaves us with about 3 percent of the total as fresh water, more than 98 percent of which is inaccessible due to being located in ice caps, glaciers, and deep groundwater.1 We are left with a little over 1 percent of fresh water that is usable coming from lakes, rivers, and ground ice. As such, fresh water is considered a limited resource simply because, by comparison, there is so little of it, and when consumption outpaces the natural water cycle, the usable amount decreases, affecting the environment and local populace.
So, what is water conservation?
Water conservation is the process of reducing the amount of excess water used for daily activities domestically, commercially, and industrially through the planning and execution of management practices.
Why is it important?
Maintaining a steady, available supply of usable water affects many aspects of daily activities. Restrooms, laundry facilities, kitchens, and other modern amenities rely on water to function. The wanton and excessive use of water damages the environment. Contaminated water can re-enter the ecosystem and the overuse of a water supply can dry out an entire region.
Making a plan for conserving water and reducing use can help prevent long-lasting repercussions. The importance of lessening water use in the United States can be inferred from concerns of state water managers who expect water shortages in 40 states by 2023, according to a 2014 Government Accountability Office study.2 Simply and economically speaking, reducing excessive water use means less money that your business has to pay for water. It just also happens to help the environment.
Water Use in Businesses
Publicly supplied water is “water delivered to users for domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes”3 and makes up approximately 12 percent of fresh water usage in the United States.4 According to the EPA, commercial and industrial businesses account for 17 percent of the use of public water supplies. This includes usage in laundry and cleaning facilities, maintenance of medical equipment, kitchen and restroom use, landscaping, and others. Roughly 40 percent of a company’s water use comes from bathrooms and laundry facilities.5 Water use in these sectors is often required, so taking steps towards reducing this utilization would help in decreasing environmental and economical impact.
Steps to Lessen Water Usage
There are a myriad of ways to reduce our water consumption at home, such as:
- Turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth
Reminder to save water - Only washing full loads of laundry
- Updating bathroom fixtures, laundry, and kitchen fixtures
Similarly, implementing a conservative water usage policy within your business can help reduce your company’s footprint.
Help control water usage by:
- Monitoring and metering your business’s water usage
- Updating cooling and restroom fixtures
- Educating and rewarding employees for adhering to a strict water usage plan
Custom Signs offers a wide selection of conservation signage to remind your employees to strive towards lessening your business’ water consumption. Our brass and plastic signs come either engraved or in full color and can be customized to meet your company’s needs. Take the first steps of your company’s journey towards preserving our water supplies by informing your employees with a custom conservation sign from CustomSigns.com.
References
- https://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html
- https://www.gao.gov/assets/670/663343.pdf
- https://water.usgs.gov/watuse/wups.html
- https://www.epa.gov/watersense/types-facilities
- https://www.epa.gov/watersense/best-management-practices
