“Save the Drop”, Green Cross campaign for World Water Day 2017

Children and students in schools, citizens and families, and athletes all over the world are invited to participate in this special anti-waste challenge. The objective: to reduce the amount of waste going down the drain and set new water savings records. This challenge, alongside canoeing medalists Josefa Idem and Antonio Rossi, is under the patronage of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI).

For World Water Day 2017, the theme chosen by the United Nations is the Wastewater – water from domestic, agricultural and industrial uses that might be discharged into nature without being properly treated.

By 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in cities. Most urban areas of developing countries, however, don’t have adequate infrastructure to treat water in an efficient and sustainable way. It will be a challenge to find new approaches to collect and use waste water, and it will also be necessary to adopt a more conscious use of water resources in our daily lives.

In the social media age, word-of-mouth can travel fast and helps to overcome this challenge. It is easier than ever before to convince many people to reduce waste, speed up their shower, or use a glass of water for tooth brushing instead of running the tap, as well as raise awareness about choosing low water footprint foods (fruits and vegetables), reusing water several times before throwing it away, and avoiding polluting habits.

Participation is very easy. Just think, and put into practice, an action to protect water resources, post it to a Facebook page or Twitter account profile (using the hashtag #salvalagoccia and #savethedrop) and share it on the “Salva la Goccia” Facebook page. An online counter at www.immaginiperlaterra.it will keep updating the number of participants, showing in real time the contribution of communities to safeguarding water resources.

In recent years the “Save the Drop” campaign has involved more than 100,000 students, over 300 schools, several municipalities and mayors, and thousands of Facebook users. These numbers are set to rise for this fifth edition that will be undertaken on 22 March.