Every living thing on Earth has at least one thing in common: it’s made up of water. Water is essential to all parts of life, whether that be as an abiotic factor or as a common compound that we use in our everyday lives. However, as time progresses, water availability continues to be jeopardized. The World Health Organization estimates that 1 out of 3 people globally do not have access to safe drinking water, while 3 billion people “lack basic handwashing facilities.” As this water crisis deepens, the necessity for a solution becomes even more urgent, thus bringing even more importance to water stewardship.
What is Water Stewardship?
Water stewardship is the proper utilization of water by ensuring social, environmental, and economic benefits. It requires cooperation and effort to follow through but ensures that water is not being exploited.
Organizations supporting Water Stewardship
In fact, many organizations are currently enforcing water stewardship responsibilities in many different ways. One such organization is Global Water Leaders. Global Water Leaders is an international network that focuses on uniting CEOs of water utilities and agencies in order to confront the global water crisis. By bringing leaders together, Global Water Leaders aims to develop a common language between these CEOs to help implement practical solutions.
Another organization that helps enforce water stewardship responsibilities is United Nations-Water (UN-Water). This organization aims to coordinate the responses of 30 UN organizations towards global water problems and helps to present a uniform solution. It confronts water-related challenges via informed policies that create a framework to help further the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by gathering data on water trends and management and inspiring action within populations to help speed up the road to recovery.
Other Ways Businesses Can Support Water Stewardship
Even if an organization or business is not specifically pertaining to environmental issues, they can still uptake water stewardship through multiple approaches. One such way to ensure the responsible usage of water is through water audits. Water audits help track how much water is being used by the business and thus highlight areas where water usage can be reduced. In addition, businesses can also educate their workers and employees on proper water conservation techniques. Through this, businesses will be more conscious about their water usage and can also implement other ideas such as automatic shut-off valves and motion sensors. Also, one final but not the ultimate way for businesses to enforce water stewardship responsibilities is through implementing low-flow restrictions that reduce water flow, thus limiting water usage.
Water Stewardship Efforts in the Community
If you are not a part of a large-scale organization or group, there are still ways you and your local community can take part in water stewardship. One organization located in northeast Ohio called Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) works with local communities by providing grants to implement green infrastructure projects. By supporting smaller, close-knit communities in their pursuit of clean water, NEORSD is constantly reinforcing water stewardship responsibilities just like many other organizations across the globe. Through their combined efforts, our world is one inch closer to solving the complex water crisis.
Connect with Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District on social media
- https://twitter.com/neorsd
- https://www.facebook.com/yoursewerdistrict
- https://www.youtube.com/user/neorsdccr
- https://www.instagram.com/neorsd/
- https://www.pinterest.com/wallywaterdrop/
Resources:
- “1 In 3 People Globally Do Not Have Access to Safe Drinking Water – UNICEF, WHO.” World Health Organization. Accessed July 10, 2021. https://www.who.int/news/item/18-06-2019-1-in-3-people-globally-do-not-have-access-to-safe-drinking-water-unicef-who
- Global Water Leaders. Accessed July 10, 2021. http://www.globalwaterleaders.org/#!about-us/c1yyl
- “Green Infrastructure Grant Program.” NEORSD. Accessed July 10, 2021. https://www.neorsd.org/stormwater-2/green-infrastructure-grant-program/
- Hughes, Brian. “5 Ways Businesses Can Conserve Water: Going Blue to Go Green.” HuffPost, December 7, 2017. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/5-ways-businesses-can-con_b_11556346
- “Water: Coordinating the UN’s Work on Water and Sanitation.” UN. Accessed July 10, 2021. https://www.unwater.org/.
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