March 22 is United Nations World Water Day
The following is a fable featured on the UN Water Website.
‘One day in the forest, a fire broke out.
All the animals ran for their lives.
They stood at the edge of the blaze, looking at the flames in terror and sadness.
Up above their heads, a hummingbird was flying back and forth to the fire, over and over again.
The bigger animals asked the hummingbird what she was doing.
“I am flying to the lake to get water to help put out the fire.”
The animals laughed at her and said, “You can’t put out this fire!”
The hummingbird replied, “I’m doing what I can.”’
The hummingbird is helping solve the problem, one drop at a time. She is being the change she wants to see in the world. You can be a hummingbird, too. The actions you take, no matter how small, will help solve the water crisis.
Here are a few of our favorite ways we can all be “hummingbirds” to help our environment by saving water, as featured in the United Nations Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving Water:
💧Save water: Take shorter showers and don’t let the tap run when brushing your teeth, doing dishes and preparing food.
💧Stop polluting: Don’t put food waste, oils, medicines and chemicals down your toilet or drains.
💧Eat local: Buy local, seasonal food and look for products made with less water.
💧Don’t throw away edible food: An estimated 1/3 of all food produced globally is lost or goes to waste. Reducing your food wastage reduces demand on agriculture, which is one of the biggest water consumers. So, reduce food waste and save water.
💧Shop sustainably: A typical pair of jeans takes 10,000 liters of water to produce, equal to what a person drinks in 10 years.
💧Take part in clean-ups of your local rivers, lakes, wetlands or beaches.
Please join us on our journey to affect change. Leave a comment below or contact us at environment@lwvchicago.org.