Gems for a precious resource

By Meghan Young

Everyone I know does it: wake up in the morning, shuffle to the bathroom, flush the toilet, turn on the tap. Some jump in the shower for a warm, refreshing rinse.

I can be found in the kitchen, chin on palms, leaning on the counter waiting for my water to boil.

I never questioned this ritual, let alone my general use of water, until I was in my little cousin’s bathroom. This particular bathroom was littered with Betty and Veronica comics. Casually flipping through one, my attention was caught by bold letters:

"DON’T WASTE WATER."

My head was bopping in time to the drip-drop beat of the faucet. Yes, it was quite the party in that bathroom until Archie, in khaki trench and fedora, held his magnifying glass up to his own dripping faucet.

Did you know that one leaky faucet could waste 3,000 gallons of water or more per year, and that each toilet flush uses about 15 to 19 litres of water? I didn’t. At least not until I decided to do some light reading in the bathroom.

Compare that to the average African, who uses three. As recorded by the United Nation’s 2006 Human Development Report, everyone should have access to at least 20 litres a day to meet basic needs. Clearly, 300 litres goes way beyond basics.

Daniel Swarovski (1862 – 1956) seemed to understand the frightening disconnect before the multitudes of reports, media attention, and Archie comics told the rest of us. According to him, "Supporting social and environmental projects is the obligation of a responsible company."

In 1999, Swarovski Crystal fulfilled its founder’s belief, creating the very first Swarovski Water School in Austria.

In a video on the Swarovski website, Dr. Christoph Imboden, environmental advisor at Swarovski, explains: "We are trying to make children and students aware of all the problems and issues surrounding water. The fact that it is the origin of all life … that the water on this earth is finite, and it has to be shared by more and more people."

Yet water isn’t just shared by people.

With this in mind, Swarovski introduced the Swarovski Crystal Society Endangered Wildlife Trilogy in 2008. With every purchase from this trilogy, Swarovski will make a contribution to its environmental endeavours, including educating children about water conservation through the Swarovski Water School project.

Last year’s theme, The Living Yangtze, brought awareness — by way of three gleaming panda bears — to towns along China’s Yangtze River. This year, a gorilla duo will spread this message to Uganda, home of the endangered mountain gorilla.

Focusing on the sustainable management of water resources along the Nile in Uganda and the surrounding Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the Swarovski Water School, partnering with Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust, seeks to improve the living conditions for people and wildlife alike.

Approximately 20 schools will be involved in the 2009 Living Nile project. Charity Bwiza, Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust program manager, emphasizes the importance of water "in all schools to fight diseases like diarrhea and cholera, which are rampant in Uganda. … If these children get clean, safe water, they will learn how to use it, they will be clean, and then they will have a good future."

Living in North America, drinking our tea and brushing our teeth, we easily take for granted our safe, drinkable water. Yet, I really shouldn’t use the word "we" so loosely. Clearly, not all of us belong under that umbrella.

For more information, visit www.Swarovski.com.