WaterAs islanders, we are astutely aware of the limited supply of drinkable and usable water in our region. It is important to know that water resources are also becoming increasingly scarce on a global level. Although we are surrounded by water and two-thirds of the Earth's surface is water, 97% of it is saltwater which is unfit for human use. Saltwater cannot be used for drinking, crop irrigation or most industrial uses. Of the remaining 3% of the world's water resources, only about 1% is readily available for our consumption.
There are two main sources of water in the Virgin Islands, rain and wells. Cisterns are used to collect rain and the Water and Power Authority (WAPA) utilizes wells. When WAPA makes water oil is burned, so water has a direct relationship to energy.
The average person uses 50-100 gallons of water daily.
Conservation methods can save 50% of the water used.
Energy
We are dependent on energy for our everyday lives - it is at the core of our quality of life. It provides us with electricity and powers our industry, transportation and basic way of life. Energy also plays a critical role in the health of the environment. Energy demand increases with the population, and it is a fact that energy demand will increase significantly in the future. We need to ask ourselves what we can do now to use energy in a way that is friendly to the environment. There are two main ways to save energy, through conservation and efficiency. Energy conservation is any behavior that results in using less energy – such as turning off lights when you leave the room and recycling. Energy efficiency is the use of technology that requires less energy to perform the same function, such as compact fluorescent light bulb that uses less energy than an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light .
Being more energy friendly, through conservation and efficiency, is one of the quickest, most cost-effective ways to reduce energy related emissions that are linked to global warming, climate change, acid rain and smog.
