Water Campaign Action Pack
December 2011
Make a Splash
Campaign Action Pack
•Bottled Water Boycott – bottled
water has a huge, and unnecessary
impact on our environment. WI
members are urged to raise awareness
of these impacts and reduce their
own usage of bottled water.
urged to organise their own ‘Splash
Mob’ to highlight the campaign.
You might wish to:
•Set up a stall in the town or village
centre handing out leaflets
publicising the campaign.
•Dress in blue, or hold blue umbrellas
Local authorities and businesses:
to symbolise the water theme,
The NFWI believes that there should be
and invite the local newspaper to
much more availability of tap water in
take a photo.
public places.
•Make your own props – why not
•Restaurants and cafés should offer
deliver a ‘message in a bottle’ to
local shops and restaurants to
tap water free of charge and as a
encourage them to offer tap water?
matter of course.
•Local authorities should provide
3. Join the campaign for more water
water fountains in public places
fountains in playgrounds
such as parks and shopping centres.
The NFWI is supporting Sustain’s
The NFWI is supporting Sustain’s
campaign for more water fountains in
campaign for more water fountains
parks, to give children and park users
in parks.
an alternative to purchasing bottled
water. A recent Sustain report found
Ways to make a splash for the WI
that soft drinks companies were using
Water Campaign!
1. Take part in the WI Water Action misleading marketing to target
children and parents.
Week 19th to 25th March 2012
The NFWI is urging WI members to
Lack of drinking water in parks can
take part in WI Water Action Week
mean that children visit shops or
during March 2012, and to hold
cafes to quench their thirst – meaning
activities to raise awareness of the
they are likely to buy sugary, fizzy
issues in your community.
drinks, and may be tempted to buy
This could include:
other unhealthy products such as
A Water themed WI meeting:
crisps or sweets.
-including a water quiz (contact
the Public Affairs Department
You can support the campaign by
for questions).
visiting your local park and conducting
-Water themed cake competition.
a survey of the water facilities. Is there
-Water blind tasting – can you tell
a water fountain? Is it working? Is the
the difference between bottled and
fountain in good repair? You can then
tap water?
report the results to your local council
and ask them to take action.
2. Boycott Bottled Water on World
Water Day – 22nd March 2012
The NFWI is calling on all members to Sustain campaigners across England
take action on World Water Day to raise and Wales are starting petitions to get
awareness of the environmental impact water fountains fixed or installed in
their local parks. If you would like to
of bottled water. WI members are
link up to work together on this
campaign, contact the Public Affairs
Department.
4. Be Water Aware
We can all make a difference in
reducing our water usage, both by
changing our behaviour and by
making changes to our homes. Many
members reported that they have
taken simple steps such as turning off
taps when brushing teeth, washing up
using a bowl of water and using a
water butt in the garden.
Water companies offer free gadgets
that can be simply fitted to your
home to help you save water. These
can include ‘hippo’ devices to reduce
water use in your toilet, gadgets that
can be fitted to taps and showers to
aerate the water, and shower timers to
help you cut your usage. To find out
more, contact your water company.
Images:
istockphoto
NFWI Public Affairs Department
104 New Kings Road, London, SW6 4LY
020 7371 9300
[email protected]
www.thewi.org.uk
MAKE A
SPLASH
Make a Splash
Campaign Action Pack
Make a Splash
Campaign Action Pack
Why is the WI
campaigning
on water?
With an increasing global
change, access to water could become
increasingly a driver of conflict in
the future.
Water survey: you told us…
Over 2,400 WI members responded
to our Water Survey, carried out in
spring 2011 which asked your views on
a range of issues around water.
• 71% of respondents are already on a
water meter and 63% reported that
their water bill had decreased since
the meter was installed.
• Many members had made
behavioural changes to save water,
Demand for water is growing. Some areas of the UK are already
facing water shortages, and in early 2011 it was announced that
and the fragile ecosystems they support are threatened, and the
way we use water even impacts on climate change.
We may not think that turning on
the tap has an impact outside our
environment around us, and the way
we heat water in the home creates
carbon emissions that fuel climate
change. Every day each one of us uses
an average of 150 litres of water – that’s
the equivalent of 264 pints of milk!
Our rivers support all kinds of wildlife
and are central to our ecosystems.
Excessive abstraction can reduce
habitat for fish, insects, animals and
plants, increase sediment deposits
and increase concentrations of
that a third of our rivers are at risk of
significant damage.
more carefully about how we use water,
and to take more steps to reduce water
usage, and help protect the
environment.
our rivers under threat
We may not all be aware of the
connection between the water gushing
out of our taps and the beauty of our
rivers and lakes. However, the water
that comes out of our taps has been
pumped (abstracted) from rivers or
underground aquifers.
Rivers are also under pressure from
from heavy rain washes pollution
into waterways, and raw sewage is
released into rivers when sewers
cannot cope. Domestic chemicals,
such as those in soaps and detergents,
increase the costs of treating water.
Pollutants from agriculture, such as
pesticides and fertilisers also
damage ecosystems, and poor land
management can cause sediment to
build up.
water shouldn’t come at the expense of
our environment, and wishes to see
more action to protect our rivers, and
safeguard the wildlife they support.
Climate change
Heating water at home contributes to
carbon emissions – which can make
up on average 25 per cent of your
household’s heating bills. Across the
UK, 6 per cent of our carbon emissions
are related to water and sewerage.
While many of us have made changes
to our lifestyle outside the home in
order to cut our carbon emissions, there
are still actions we can all take to make
up with a bowl rather than keeping
taps running.
• Some members had made changes
to their home, most commonly by
Already some regions of the UK are
water were consumed in the UK in 2009. under water stress, notably London
installed household goods that use
and the South East where populations
are dense and demand for water is high.
or showers.
As the population of the UK grows,
•
demand for water will increase,
cost. Oil is used to produce the plastic
intensifying the existing pressures on
convenience when out and about.
our water supply.
• 88% think that public places
creates carbon emissions, and
sites for up to a hundred years.
Yet, according to Which? tap water
costs just 0.22p per litre, making it
taste tests too!
reduce their own consumption of
Increasing concern has been expressed
about the growth in consumption of
£1.4 billion. On average, every
authorities to provide water fountains
in public places, and for cafes and
restaurants to serve tap water rather
Many of us will remember the summer
being a cold and rainy one, but in fact
Spring 2011 was the driest since records
began in many areas. Even by October,
some regions were still assessed as
being in drought conditions, causing
problems for farmers who need water
to irrigate crops.
water fountains to cut the use of
• 98% think that restaurants and cafés
What is our campaign calling for?
WI members:
• Be Water Aware - we should all be
conscious of the impacts of our water
Worldwide, according to Water Aid, one
use on the environment, and the
in eight of the world’s population does
contribution it makes to climate
change. Members can take a range of
not have access to clean drinking water.
actions to reduce their own water use
at home, and to spread the word in
means that over two million people die
their own communities.
from water-related diseases every year.