Schools are big buildings that use a lot of water every day. They use water for heating and cooling systems, restrooms, drinking fountains, water faucets, locker rooms, cafeterias, laboratories, outdoor playing fields and lawns, and sometimes even swimming pools. Schools can make a significant difference in the effort to manage water wisely.

Water Watchers

People in the United States expect that water will always be there when-ever they turn on the tap, but water is a limited resource and people are using a lot of it every day. Consider these facts:

It takes more than fifty gallons of water to make an eight-ounce glass of milk.

It takes 115 gallons of water to grow the wheat for one loaf of bread.

It takes 100 gallons of water to grow one watermelon

It takes roughly fifteen gallons of water to make one gallon of gasoline.

It takes 280 gallons of water to make one Sunday newspaper.

It takes 39,000 gallons of water to make one new car, including tires.

It takes water to grow your food. It takes water to make your schoolbus. It takes water to make your notebooks and your textbooks. How can your school start to cut back? One way is for you to start being water watchers. Make signs for your school's restrooms that encourage people to turn off water while they're washing their hands. Report to maintenance whenever you see a leaky faucet or hear toilets running after they've filled. Make educational posters for your hallways. Ask people if they are water watchers or water wasters.

Break Free from Bottled Water

Do you drink bottled water? Almost everyone does these days, but what happened to drinking tap water? Why do people think it's not okay anymore? Bottled water manufacturers want you to think that bottled water is better because they want to earn your money. Guess what? Bottled water isn't any better than tap water. It's also super-bad for the environment.

Each year in the United States, 29 billion plastic water bottles are produced for use.

Making all of these bottles requires 17 million barrels of crude oil.

Nearly 90 percent of water bottles are not recycled and wind up in landfills where it takes thousands of years for the plastic to decompose.

That's some pretty big numbers. Try to break them down so they are more understandable. Divide 29 billion by 365. How many bottles are made each day? How many each hour? What's 90 percent of this? That's a lot of garbage!

Some school districts have banned bottled water. Can you get yours to? Start selling reusable stainless-steel water bottles as a fundraiser to prompt the conversation and get people to act. You can even try to get your mayor or city council to try to reduce bottled water consumption by writing them and urging them to take the “Think Outside the Bottle” pledge. Visit http://thinkoutsidethebottle.org for more information.

You might wonder if your local school's water is safe to drink. Many schools across the country have lead pipes that leach lead into the drinking water. Lead poses a serious health threat to children and can cause permanent brain damage. Other contaminants could be present as well. Fortunately, there are many resources to ensure that your students are drinking safe water. First, ask your school maintenance staff if they have any past records of water tests.

You should also call your local water utility to get the most recent Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), which is a water test that must be conducted annually. Still, if your school has lead pipes, the CCR won't show it. The CCR only shows the water test results at the facility, not what comes out of your tap or fountain. Ask your utility if they will donate the resources to conduct testing at your school. Try to push for annual testing of the drinking fountains at your school to ensure the safest water. You can learn more and find a variety of resources for schools through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at www.epa.gov/OGWDW/schools/guidance.html.