{"id":101249,"date":"2023-07-20T01:54:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T06:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=101249"},"modified":"2023-07-19T15:17:44","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T20:17:44","slug":"livegreen-the-importance-of-water-conservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2023\/07\/20\/livegreen-the-importance-of-water-conservation\/","title":{"rendered":"LiveGreen: The importance of water conservation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Water conservation is an important part of sustainability and climate resilience efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While water is relatively abundant and cheap in the Midwest today, droughts are becoming more frequent and severe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse Bell, PhD, Claire M. Hubbard Professor of Water, Climate and Health at UNMC, said, \u201cDrought is a constant issue in the United States, and it is often overlooked by health professionals. For example, many individuals might be surprised to learn that eastern Nebraska is facing extreme to exceptional drought conditions<\/a>. Because drought is a significant threat to human health, more work is needed to understand local public health threats associated with drought events.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Bell\u2019s team has created multiple resources related to this issue, including health impacts associated with drought<\/a> and preparedness strategies for health departments<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water conservation is part of the med center\u2019s sustainability plan. The med center has set a 2030 goal for net zero water \u2014 that means using the same amount or less of water than the annual amount that falls on campus as rain and snow. Since 2012, the med center has saved approximately 349 million gallons of water \u2014 the equivalent of 529 Olympic-sized swimming pools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategies for reducing water use have been implemented within buildings and on grounds. Behavior changes through the Every Drop Counts campaign, along with improved landscaping and upgraded infrastructure, have helped the med center make progress toward its goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Med center colleagues can support water conservation and the net zero water goal by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n