Saving water 

 

With annual rainfall down and hot days ahead, the focus for this month’s newsletter is water.  If you’ve been keeping up with such things, you will probably know already that a drought has been declared in the north-west of England with reservoirs at historic low levels for the time of year.  And while bosses’ bonuses have been banned at six water companies, there is still much to be done regarding the pollution of our rivers and, consequently, our seas.  I noted one report that said “forever chemicals” were found in 98% samples from 32 waterways tested by researchers at York University.

Progress was made, however, at the UN Ocean Conference a few weeks ago when a key treaty was ratified to protect marine life, to curb illegal fishing in our seas and to cut plastic pollution.  There are nearly 200 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean and this figure is expected to triple by 2040 if no action is taken.  Both the physical plastic and the chemicals within them are life-threatening to marine animals.  In signing up to the High Seas Treaty, fifty countries pledged to put 30% of international waters into protected areas by 2030 with a dozen more promising to do so earlier (by 2026).  Where more research is needed is the area of deep-sea mining for minerals, which could have potentially harmful effects on the seabed.

Top tips for saving water, as you might already know, are: make sure your dishwasher is full or, if you’re handwashing dishes, fill the bowl and start with the cleanest items first; wash your clothes less often; only fill the kettle as much as you need; put a jug of water in the fridge instead of running the tap; and take shorter showers.  One thing I hadn’t read before was to save leftover cooking water, or water from rinsing veg, to use on the garden.  I’m also thinking that I could save any water I run waiting for it to get cold or hot enough…

Prayer from A Service of the Word for Creationtide

Holy God, earth and air and water are your creation,
and every living thing belongs to you:
have mercy on us as climate change confronts us.
Give us the will and the courage to simplify the way we live,
to reduce the energy we use,
to share the resources you provide,
and to bear the cost of change.
Forgive our past mistakes
and send us your Spirit,
with wisdom in present controversies
and vision for the future to which you call us
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.