Description

Why should you turn the faucet off while washing hands, doing dishes, shaving, brushing

teeth, etc, … or Why should you practice water conservation?

I. Introduction

A. Attention getter

Fact: 750 million people in the world lack access to safe water = almost 2 and a half times the

United States population; Every minute a child dies from water-related diseases  We are very

fortunate to live in a developed country.

Citation:

- Tropical Medicine and International Health. 19, no. 8 (2014): 894 - 905. Burden of disease

from inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene in low- and middle-income settings: a

retrospective analysis of data from 145 countries.

- World Health Organization and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP). (2014).

Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation, 2014 Update.

- United States Census Bureau Estimates. (2014). U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base.

- World Economic Forum (2015).Global Risks 2015 Report.

- Map data sourced from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and

Sanitation. (2014). Pg. 14. Based on 2012 Data. Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation,

2014 Update.

B. Preview of points

- Water is becoming scare because of the small percentage of fresh liquid water on the planet

and the fast growing world’s population.

- Washington State specifically is experiencing snowpack drought.

- Turning off water can save you tremendous amount of money annually.

C. Relevance to audiences

- Everybody uses water every day as it is one of the vital resources.

D. Thesis statement

We should practice conserving water by turning off the faucets while not actually using them

because of water scarcity, major drought this year in WA and the amount of money that can be

saved.

* Transition: 70% of the planet is water, but the amount of water that is actually fresh and

accessible in liquid form is less than 1%.

(Citation: Environmental Science : Toward a Sustainable Future by Dorothy T. Boorse and

Richard T. Wright (2013, Paperback).

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II. Main point 1:

Water is a finite resource while population is growing significantly every day  It’s

important to conserve water.

A. Subpoint 1:

- Scientific fact: Less than 1% of water on Earth is fresh water and in liquid form, ready

for use. World’s population will reach 9 billion in 2050 and overwhelm Earth’s caring capacity.

Citation: Environmental Science : Toward a Sustainable Future by Dorothy T. Boorse and

Richard T. Wright (2013, Paperback).

B. Subpoint 2:

- Water in aquifers cannot be recharged quick enough, thus creating sinkholes and soil

level drop. States that are most susceptible to sinkholes: Florida, Texas, Missouri. There were

some mild sinkholes opening up in Washington State.

Citation: Robertson, J., Orndoff, R. (2013, March 11). The Science of Sinkholes. U.S Geological

Survey. Retrieved from: http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_top_story/the-science-of-

sinkholes/.

* Transition: Not only is water a finite resource and is becoming more scarce on a global scale,

here in Washington State, we are currently experiencing a major snowpack drought, estimated to

be the worst on record in the past 64 years.

III. Main point 2:

Washington State is experiencing major snowpack drought in 2015 – officially declared by

the Governor. Run-off from snowmelt is the lowest on record in the past 64 years  Should

conserve water since the state is experiencing water hardship.

Citation: Washington Drought 2015 (2015, May 15). Department of Ecology, State of

Washington. Retrieved from http://www.ecy.wa.gov/drought/

*Transition: We should turn off the faucet to conserve water not only because we are

experiencing water scarcity, but we will also save a lot of money by not wasting water.

IV. Main point 3:

Turning off the faucet while not using it can save your bills and keep money in your pocket.

A. Subpoint 1:

- 2 gallons of water are wasted every 1 minute the faucet is left running. An average

family in the U.S uses 400 gallons of water/day – enough to fill 6,400 cups of water and a tank

for 6 small sharks to swim in.  Can save up to 200 gallons a day by turning off faucets when

not actually using them.

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- City of Bothell has been increasing price of water charge (2013: 1’’ costs home owners

$3,625.00)

Citation: Water Sense (n.d). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from

http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/kids/index.html

B. Subpoint 2:

- Saving water use in household = Slowing down the price increasing process since lots

of water is used to create goods, generate electricity and operate transportation.

*Transition: A large sum of water can be saved by just turning off water while doing every day’s

activities such as brushing teeth, shaving, and doing dishes.

V. Conclusion:

A. Review of points

B. Restating relevance- remind them why it is important

- We need water to survive and we use water in almost every day’s activities. It is important to

act responsible in terms of using water.

C. Call to action

- Be conscious when using water.

- Remember to turn the faucets off while not actually using water.