water fact: only .5 percent of the planet’s water available
Water covers more than 70 percent of the earth, unfortunately 97 percent of it is salt water. Of the remaining three percent, most of that is frozen and inaccessible, leaving a mere .5 percent available for human use.
more water facts
- Fewer than 10 countries control more than 60 percent of the planet’s fresh water.
- Every year, more than 1.5 million children die from water-related disease.
- Water.org says that one in eight people do not have access to clean water.
- An American uses more water in a single five-minute shower than most poor people in the third world use in a day.
- Water shortages have been reported near water bottling plants, including those in Wisconsin, Texas, Florida and New Hampshire.
who’s using the water?
Of course, water is a renewable resource, but mother nature is not able to keep up with the pace of human activity.
Population growth means more agriculture, manufacturing, and sanitation. Agriculture accounts for the vast majority of our fresh water demands. Often regions devote 70 percent or more of their water towards growing crops for food or commodities such as cotton.
As part of Blog Action Day, we want to bring your attention to the water waste in the textile industry. Textiles are the third biggest user of water and cause of water pollution.
You may be surprised to learn that the fiber to make one simple cotton tee uses 713 gallons of water. Then, dying that shirt can take almost eight gallons. That’s a lot of water. Did you know that more than 2 billion t-shirts are sold each year? That’s a lot of water!
climate change and everyday choices
When you think about climate change causing sea levels to rise, more drought, longer droughts, world population increases and the precious little fresh water we have for all the creatures on this planet, we believe that water is better used for food than for clothing. Especially because there are excellent alternatives. We now have recycled PET fabric that’s as soft as cashmere and stronger than cotton. And we have ways to dye the fabric that use no water at the point of coloration.
We encourage everyone to make smart choices about water use every day. Everything from taking shorter showers, to using non-toxic cleaning supplies to choosing clothing that’s not needlessly consuming and polluting our fresh water. Together we can fight climate change and water scarcity.
