Vulnerable People and Places Blog

In the above video, a boy learns the hard way about water conservation. Although this video is obviously comedic in nature, it helps communicate a very important message: even small acts of wastefulness contribute to water scarcity. According to the Appamattox River Water Authority, for an average family of 4, as much as 600 gallons of water a month can be saved by simply turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth. ( http://arwava.org/water-conservation/ ) Now take the population of the Portland Metro area (2,389,228), divide by 4 (2,389,228/4=597307) multiply that by 12 months and 600 gallons (597307*12*600), and just a few simple math problems later you realize that we might be wasting as much as a staggering 4,300,610,400 gallons of water a year, simply by forgetting to turn off the tap! "Portlanders waste 4,300,610,400 gallons/year brushing our teeth" In many parts of our country, peoples lives and livelihoods are at stake due to lack of water. In Oj...