Now that spring is finally here and the ground is starting to defrost, it’s the perfect time to talk about Earth Day and what really needs to be addressed. April is all about celebrating our planet—it also gives us a chance to think about how we can protect it. Right now, one of our biggest issues we are facing is something we often take for granted, and that is water.
I’m Camille Goodman from Sacred Heart University’s Discovery Science Center and Planetarium in Bridgeport, and this is Discovery Deep Dive.
Let’s break down our percentage of water on Earth. About 97% of our water on Earth is saltwater, and although it is available for us to use, it is not available for us to drink. The remaining 3% of the water is freshwater. Although this type of water we can drink - it’s not reachable because it is found in glaciers and ice caps. So, when we really break it down, the amount of drinkable water available to us is less than 1%.
Americans use about 82.3 billion gallons of freshwater in a single day. Most of this water comes from groundwater, which is heavily used for irrigation purposes and reservoirs (storage of water). The problem? Groundwater takes hundreds of years to replenish. Due to rising temperatures and drought, our groundwater is depleting faster than ever. With the current usage of groundwater and how fast it is depleting, we are using it faster than it can recover. And, if we do not fix this issue, we will ultimately run out of water.
According to the United Nations, about 75% of people worldwide live in areas considered water-insecure. That’s driven by factors like overuse, rising temperatures leading to drought, and increasing demand from technologies like AI data centers.
So, what can you do? Start simple—be mindful of your water use at home. You can limit how much you are using AI, collect rainwater with a rain barrel, or plant a rain garden to help support local ecosystems.
And getting involved locally can make a real impact. Visit Connecticut River Conservancy to find ways to participate this Earth Day.
