Water and energy

In the first moments of 2015, the students read an article from BBC News about the drought in Southeast Brazil (click here).

After reading that, they were supposed to write a short opinion text about the following idea:

Why is it important to save water and energy? What do you do in order to save those resources?

Here are some of the best ideas we got from this activity. Enjoy!

One

'Saving water and energy is important for the planet to survive.

Most of the energy in Brazil comes from hydroelectric power plants. Without water, humankind would not survive because we need water to drink and to produce food and energy.

Alternative sources of energy are very important.

I reduced the time I took on bathing and dropped the water temperature down in my shower. Lights are only on when they are needed. Clothes are ironed when we have a large amount of them. Tableware and clothes are carefully washed.

There are many ways to save water and energy, but those are the ways that I'm choosing.'

Vilma

Two

'Water is the most important resource our planet has. Water is life, water is energy. We can't live without water. People should think about that before using it carelessly.

In Brazil, energy is almost totally dependant on water, so if we don't have water, soon we will not have energy too.

I believe everyone should save as much as they can. I have myself turned off many things that used to be on before the crisis: clocks, radio and blu-ray players. In addition, I wash my clothes only twice a week. By doing little things like those, people would save not only resources, but also their money!'

Virginia

Three

'Men need to be aware that, from now on, we must save water.

Wash the dishes inside a basin; the amount of water that is wasted is larger than what we used to have before. When using the washing machine, we can reuse the water by collecting it in bottles or gallons to wash the backyard. We must water the plants with a pot and never with the hose.

Switch off the lights when leaving the room. Pile clothes up and wash them once a week. Iron the clothes also once a week.

Water is precious because we need it to survive!'

Maria Cecília

Four

'We all know that we can't live without water and, consequently, without energy! Water is essencial for plants, animals and mankind! Men haven't understood the importance of preserving yet. There isn't life without water.

The human being can live without food for several days, but can't go on for three days with no water.

Energy is also essential for life in our planet. Everything depends on it.

To save water, we only need simple measures in our day-by-day life. For example, having a shower in five minutes, turning the tap off while brushing your teeth. I usually have a shower with a bowl under in the shower. I reuse this water to flush the toilet. We can save about six litres of water a day with that.

We can also collect rainwater and use it to wash sidewalks, yards, laundry areas etc.

To save electricity, we can switch the shower to the 'summer' position. At home, I turn all the electrical appliances that have the 'stand-by' light off, only keeping the refrigerator on. We must pile the clothes up and iron them all at once.

With those small actions, we can be sure that we can play our part on saving the planet!'

Dilana

What about you? Are you completely aware of this issue? We hope you get some inspiration from our ideas!