Water is the important component that connects us all – each as human beings and lovers of aquatic sports activities, and we need to take energetic half in defending it as a valuable life supply. Immediately we requested Andreas Fath, professor within the School of Medical and Life Sciences at Furtwangen College, water safety professional, open water swimmer and area ambassador, for some tips about how we are able to deal with water and make a distinction in on a regular basis life.
What’s the present state of water well being in Europe?
“Typically we are able to say that our water in Europe, particularly in rivers, is not in intensive care because it was within the 80‘s, nevertheless it‘s nonetheless a affected person. Droughts and water scarcity, in addition to excessive nitrate concentrations, antibiotic concentrations and growing PFAS concentrations in floor waters, are the challenges of our time. The shortage of water in rivers results in greater concentrations of pollution being launched into our waste water. We want a radical change from centralised wastewater remedy to decentralised remedy. In different phrases, not remedy on the finish of the pipe, however originally of the pipe, involving all our establishments, industries, hospitals, nursing houses and even personal households.”
What can we do to guard the water?
“Simply do not forget that outdated Native American saying: “Water is essentially the most valuable mortgage from nature“, so we’ve to deal with it and recognize it as such. Let me reply this query with the tune “The three R’s“ by Jack Johnson: Scale back, Reuse, Recycle. This additionally applies to water consumption and its remedy and plastic utilization normally. The best way we cope with plastic these days has a direct impression on water high quality due to the transformation of macroplastic, primarily plastic litter, into microplastic, which results in waters, decreasing biodiversity and contaminating meals“.
10 High Ideas for safeguarding water in on a regular basis life by Prof. Fath
- Don’t waste water.
- Don’t use consuming water indiscriminately for all actions requiring using water. For instance, high quality consuming water shouldn’t be essential for flushing the bathroom. We might use rainwater, bathe water or gray water as an alternative.
- Scale back the quantity of plastic packaging (this type of waste shall be exported to Asia, the place it should enter the ocean)
- Differentiate your plastic merchandise (so far as doable) earlier than throwing them away.
- Purchase merchandise created from just one sort of longer-life plastic that may be reused.
- Do not forget that merchandise created from just one sort of plastic might be recycled extra simply.
- Scale back your plastic waste manufacturing by purchasing extra thoughtfully and fewer impulsively.
- Take your personal biobased luggage with you while you buy groceries (cotton tote luggage, wicker baskets and so forth.)
- Be a part of river clean-up occasions (they’re enjoyable and social occasions!)
- Elevate consciousness. For instance, should you see anyone throwing a cigarette filter on the street, inform them the filter will contaminate 40 litres of water. The filter releases round 7000 chemical compounds, and 50 of them are carcinogenic! It will have an effect on all of us, which makes it a criminal offense.
Photograph credit: Tim Kiefer
Extra about Prof. Andreas Fath
Andreas Fath has been a Professor at Furtwangen College since 2011. He teaches chemistry-related topics within the School of Medical & Life Sciences with a deal with environmental engineering and water safety. From externally funded initiatives, he was capable of develop a REACH radar system for companies in partnership with Ökoinstitut Freiburg and implement a number of environmental safety initiatives (www.cleandanube.org). As co-founder of the gGmbH H2Org (www.h2org.de), he develops interactive environmental schooling modules with college students.