One of the greatest challenges facing the world in the twenty-first century is to preserve our natural reserves and to provide safe drinking water to the 20 percent or more of Earth's population that currently lacks easy access to it. The United Nation General Assembly proclaimed the years from 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action "Water for Life"
One of the solutions to the problem of water conservation is to recycle wastewater. When you flush the toilets at Stensund Folk College near Stockholm, Sweden, you help feed the fish. The school treats the wastewater in a greenhouse, where it is then used to provide water to plants and fish in an integrated cultivation system. In Lima, Peru, ponds full of algae and other small organisms clean up the wastewater. After 20 days, it is safe for reuse. Currently many factories, hotel chains, and apartment buildings around the world are installing water recycling systems.
We all need to be part of the solution, too. We need to learn how to use our water wisely. So the next time you have a drink or take a shower, think of how fortunate you are, and save water for life.