World Water Day 2022: Making the invisible visible
Today, one of our most vital reserves - groundwater - is celebrated all over the planet. Will you join us in celebrating? 22-03-2022
In principle, bottled water is just as clean as tap water, but it can age within the bottle and build up bacteria. Tap water on the other hand is (depending on where you live, of course) well-controlled, tastes fresh and clean, and as a bonus, it is a lot cheaper and better for the environment.
In fact, it is 900 times better for the environment
However, still, the average Dane buys as much as 21 litres of bottled water every year. This is completely unnecessary, when such a simple act can save so much on the climate account – and in the pocket. In 2018, calculations from HOFOR (The Capital Region’s Supply Utility) showed that tap water is 900 times more environmentally friendly than bottled water. The numbers suggest that when one litre of water leaves a tap in the city, 0.0002 kg of CO2 has been used in order to pump, prepare and transport that amount. For bottled water, that same number is 0.18 kg – a massive, thought-provoking difference.
In Denmark, every water supply utility is responsible for testing the water regularly, and make sure that the quality lives up to the stringent criteria stipulated in the Danish law.
Eco-friendly processes on the table
To mark this year’s World Water Day, which focuses on groundwater, we wanted to highlight the fact that we are able to serve water directly from the ground and into the glass. Behind this fact lies a longer explanation; one that has made the world look towards the Danish model for sustainable water infrastructure.
Groundwater may be out of sight, but it must not be out of mind – and our products and solutions help protect and transport millions of litres of it every single day.
Therefore, we have decided to add information about the water utility on our water decanters in all our offices, to make it more tangible that the water is actually pumped up and served directly from the ground below us; both for all our employees, and for all our guests visiting from all across the planet.
The texts reads: PURE TAP WATER: This water is clean ground water from the underground here in East Jutland, delivered by Galten/Skovby Water Utility. To protect the high water quality, several tests are performed every year which are analysed and approved by an accredited laboratory. Galten/Skovby Water Utility is 100% owned by the area's consumers.
Did you know that…
- It can take years - even decades - for rainwater to reach the groundwater table. Once there, some drops stay a few months or years in the ground, while some spend thousands of years.
- Theoretically, in your next glass of water, there is a 99,9% probability that a molecule once drunk by Cleopatra will be present. And, basically, all the other molecules have been inside a dinosaur’s belly.
- It takes 170 litres of water to produce half a litre of beer.
- Water is the primary ingredient in humans and makes up about 85% of the human brain.
Feeling thirsty right now? Then you’ve already lost 1% of your water reserves. Cheers!
A few tips to jazz up your tap water:
- Make some berry ice cubes and add for a refreshing cool taste
- Add herbs like i.e. fresh mint leaves, basil or ginger (watermelon and basil is a perfect match)
- Add colour to the glass with some lemon, lime or orange peels
- Add slices of fruit or vegetables like cucumbers, lemon, orange, strawberry, kiwi etc.
Or… just enjoy a fresh glass of cold tap water.
