Water
With the wettest valley in England – Borrowdale – on our doorstep, it’s easy to take water for granted. Rain is our regular companion when out walking, with fresh, clear water flowing in the becks, filling the tarns and tumbling down the ghylls. It’s often surprising to learn though that on a global scale water can’t be taken for granted.
Did you know that:
- q 97% of the earth’s water is sea water we can’t drink, 2% is locked up in icecaps and glaciers, and most of the remaining 1% is found underground
- q just 6 countries have half the world’s renewable fresh water supplies on their territories
- q you can fill 25 baths with the water it takes to grow the regular cotton for a t-shirt
- q the person you love is 72.8% water
- q it takes 5,000 litres of water to make just one kilo of cheddar cheese
- q one in six people around the world don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water
We didn’t.
We’re learning new things about water and the environment every day, helping us make better choices about the food, clothes and gear we buy. It really can make a difference. We’ve learned that the disposable plastic water bottle hit the streets in the 80s, and now 200 billion litres of the stuff are sold every year. That’s a lot of plastic bottles. And only 1 in 5 is ever recycled. The rest ends up in landfills or out to sea.
We’ve learned that plastic bottles can leach chemicals into your drink, leaving not only an unpleasant taste but also unwanted additives for our bodies to deal with.
We’ve also learned that water is becoming the “new oil”, except there are alternatives to oil – there’s no substitute for water.
So what can we do?
Well, looking at how we use water day-to-day is a good place to start. At home, reducing the amount of water flushed down your toilet, using a barrel to collect rainwater and choose a shower over a bath can help you save money and helps the planet.
Fancy a new T-shirt? Check out organic cotton ones instead of the water and pesticide thirsty regular stuff. Wear it for an extra day and you’ll save there too – 82% of the energy used during the life of a T-shirt comes from washing and drying it.
When out and about, have a re-think before buying another plastic water bottle and sticking it in your backpack. Consider a re-usable bottle that can be re-filled on the go – it’s a healthier option for you and the environment.
Every little helps.
A new local brand providing re-usable water bottles as part of its range launches early June this year. The brand called Millican, is inspired by local Borrowdale legend and self-styled “Professor of Adventure” Millican Dalton.
Way ahead of his time, Millican Dalton lived a life of simplicity and self-sufficiency, in a cave on Castle Crag during the early 1900s – growing most of his own food and making his own clothes, rucksacks, tents and sleeping bags.
More than just the company’s namesake, Millican’s attitude to sustainable living and appetite for adventure offers a wealth of inspiration for all of us looking to have a positive impact on people and planet, and explore the great outdoors.
Millican
There’ll be a local preview of Millican’s travel and outdoor bags and accessories at the Adventure Base from 15-17 May. Made using sustainable materials wherever possible, the products are built to last a lifetime of adventures (and then some)
Look forward to seeing you out there…
Jorrit & Nicky
