_Water

Given the key role it plays in our health, the quality of our H2O should never be messed with.

Communities have long been established around clean sources of drinking water. It’s vital to our survival. In New Zealand, our rivers, lakes and beaches are a source of global pride. Unfortunately, they’re also a source of local pollution. With two-thirds of our rivers too polluted to swim in and half our lakes seeing irreversible damage, our country’s fresh water is in an undeniable crisis.

Our largest sources of water pollution are from agricultural runoff, domestic and industry waste.

Though the availability of safe drinking water for all New Zealanders is a fundamental requirement for public health, in addition to the aforementioned pollutants - common contaminants like lead, arsenic and naturally occurring microbes can seriously threaten this.

It’s not just on our shores either. The World Health Organization (WHO) report that almost one billion people lack access to safe drinking water worldwide and two million annual deaths are attributed to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. Even our preference to bottled water in New Zealand has serious environmental implications. In one study, antimony levels of 48 bands of bottled water increased by 90% after six months of storage.

Don’t just go with the flow.

More than two thirds of our bodies are comprised of water, and though we can survive up to 3 weeks without food – we’re only alive 3 to 4 days without water.

To ensure our optimal health, both the quality and quantity of our water needs to be top of mind. Women are recommended to consume 2.7L of water per day from all sources, and men 3.7L to aid in the removal of toxins and other waste. Through assessment, filtration and periodic testing we can simultaneously preserve our most valuable resource while also enhancing its condition.

Additionally, the role we each play in conserving and protecting our source is vital. Here are a few things you can incorporate into your space:

• Test your water source to make sure it’s of optimal quality

• Then if required, consider enhanced filtration (i.e UV or carbon filters)

• Install a filtered tap in the kitchen and scullery

• Install rain water capture tanks to use across your property (i.e gardens, laundry, flushing of toilets)

• Leveling up from this point, rain water can be filtered for human consumption could also

• Capture grey water to irrigate across the planting, ‘sub surface drip irrigation’ would be the ultimate strategy if it suited your project

• Install water efficient toilets and tapware (i.e low flow aerators fixtures or automatic tap ware)

• When purchasing new appliances, look for a high ‘Energy Star’ rating (i.e washing machine and dishwasher)