Love your local water #RBCBlueWater #YUL #Ad #Montreal
I grew up hearing that we inherit the earth from our grandchildren. As I grew older I learnt what this really means. Canada possesses nearly 6.5 per cent of the world’s supply of fresh water, making it one of our nation’s most valued treasures. According to a study by Yale University’s Environmental Performance index, part of the RBC Blue Water campaign, Canada has the second best water quality ranking amongst selected industrialized countries.
Thankfully our children do not know what it’s like to live in a place where water resources are scarce, where clean drinking water is hard to find and they are at risk of getting sick from contaminated water. That’s why it’s important for us to have these conversations with our children while educating ourselves. It is a privilege that we greatly under-appreciate considering that we use it to water our lawns, wash our cars and do our laundry.
I was thankful to be raised by South Asian immigrants who knew what it was like to grow up without easy access to clean water. The stories my siblings and I heard about clean water growing up were from what our parents witnessed first hand in their youth.
The RBC Canadian Water Attitudes Study showed that:
- 70 per cent of Canadians know the cost of their electricity while only 39 per cent know how much money their household spends on water.
- 63 per cent either don’t have or don’t know if they have a water meter in their home.
- A quarter of Canadians (25 per cent) don’t care where their water comes from, as long as it tastes good
The results show that although public concern for water funding is high, Canadians do not appreciate the value of their drinking water.
According to the study, “Most Canadians have never experienced the fear that comes with losing confidence in their water supply,” says Bob Sandford, chair for Water Security at the United Nations Institute for Water, Environment and Health. “Those that have lived through a water-crisis, with boil water alerts and all that a crisis entails, can attest to a very real understanding of how much our water matters. It shouldn’t require an escalated event for Canadians to wake up and value this irreplaceable resource.”
Here are some important highlights from the study:
Additional Highlights:
- Only 60 per cent of Canadians know where their drinking water comes from:
- 78 per cent of Canadians over the age of 55 know where their drinking water comes from vs. 44 per cent of those aged 18-34
- Atlantic Canadians are the most knowledgeable, at 77 per cent
- Ontarians are the least knowledgeable, at 54 per cent
- The long term supply of fresh water is a large concern for 28 per cent of Canadians
- While 54 per cent of Canadians are aware of the condition of their interior home water pipes, 64 per cent of Canadians are unaware of the system delivering water to their homes
- Only 1-in-10 Canadians think water treatment, water delivery and storm water systems in their community requires major investment
- 46 per cent of Canadians admit to having no knowledge of the condition of water treatment systems
- 50 per cent of Canadians have no knowledge of the condition of storm water systems
- Over a third of Canadians are willing to pay more taxes to upgrade infrastructure for drinking water (39 per cent) and treatment of wastewater/stormwater (34 per cent)
- 48 per cent of Canadians are concerned about pollution of water systems due to agricultural runoff
These are facts that concern us all. There is no life without clean water. Simple changes in our every day routine can help us save enormous amounts of water. Some of the ways that we save water in our home include turning off the water when we brush our teeth, installing energy saver faucets and using rain water to water the plants when possible. What are some of the ways that you help save water in YOUR home?
DISCLOSURE: While this is a sponsored post, as always all opinions are my own.
This is a great reminder to be grateful for our water supply! This sounds like a great summer research project to do with my boys!
Love these facts! I wish more people were held their water sources in higher regard. I’m actively trying to save water from being misused in our home in a variety of ways. From the way we brush our teeth, to dish-washing, showering, etc, we’re pretty conscious on how we use it.
Love this! I’m part of the 63 per cent that don’t have or don’t know if they have a water meter in their home. OUPS!
Growing up, we had a artesian well. We ran out of water constantly especially during the summer. My parents installed a water stopper in the shower and they had us turn off the water while we washed ourselves, turning the water back on to rinse. We also never washed our family vehicle and never ran the water as we washed the dishes.
Efforts we made to conserve our water supply as a child, luckily has helped me continue to be careful with its use.
When we lived in Alberta, we were billed for water so I knew my consumption and was always finding ways to reduce waste. Where I currently live, I don’t pay for it as it’s in my property taxes and I’m clueless on how much I use. I still have my habits of not wasting. It’s been hot for the past few weeks, with no rain and although my lawn really needs it – I’m not watering.
WAter is something I never had to think about growing up. Lately (and after reading this scary statistics) I have been trying to teach my kids the importance of saving water! Great article!
I am always reminding my children to save water. It’s scary to think that there might come a time that we won’t have water to drink.
Our water isn’t great in my town. I miss the town I grew up in because they had fresh spring water as their tap water.
You know I had never really thought too much about where water comes from but after reading this I think I need to change my way of thinking! This is kinda scary and I think we all need to take more stock in where our natural resources are going.
I know where you’re coming from with this post. I run into people all the time who just don’t get it. They think because they can just turn on a faucet and get fresh water that it’s infinitely available. Sometimes I think our biggest blessings are also our biggest curses.
These are great facts! I have to be honest. I have no idea where my drinking water comes from other than “the city”.
When we look around the world at the lack of clean water, I can’t believe how much we take it for granted! I try to conserve water as much as possible, but I know I do take it for granted too.
Water is definitely something we take for granted. I think about conservation alot, especially for those that live in California that have to deal with all those forest fires and droughts. So rough.
Thanks for sharing these facts! I am not surprised that people have no idea how much they spend on water. The town I grew up in had a tragic incident with e-coli in the local water many years ago so I am always very picky and concerned about water. I hope these stats will help bring more awareness about water quality, thanks for sharing!
This post is a great reminder to be thankful for what we have. I could’t even imagine not having access to clean water!
Such a great post and reminder for everyone. I also try to save water from home like turning off the water when not needed.
Water is definitely important. I know that we have to keep track of our utilities so we can monitor what resources we are using.
The thought of “unning out of fresh water” scares me. Looking at countries with no good source of water makes me so appreciative of what we have.
Great facts! I know we have a water meter, and I know the extreme amounts we pay for our water. I remember the 13 days in the winter we went without any water and I wish this wasn’t true for anyone it was absolutely the worst time!
I will be the first to admit, we waste a lot of water in our house. This is a resource we should be more careful with.
I do think it’s important to save water. I teach the kids not to stay in the shower too long, I rarely run the dishwasher, and I turn off the water when brushing my teeth.
I would love to have those energy saving faucets. I didn’t know there is such a thing actually. I have to tell the husband about that.
Omg these are some crazy facts! I’m not Canadian, I’m in NY but honestly I don’t even know where my water comes from :-/
Wow, thank you for sharing so many fact! We try to be mindful of our water consumption around here.
I am super thankful that we have access to clean water. It is something we ta k e for granted.
So interesting to read all of these facts about water. It’s unfortunate that it’s taken for granted so often, it’s the most critical resource we have!
This was so incredibly informative. Clean drinking water should be a right but is a privalage for many in the world/ Thank you for putting things in perspective.