Go back in time, no; But there is room to prevent things from getting much worse. The United Nations motto for World Environment Day, commemorated this week, has focused on the fact that this possibility is indeed open and, with the motto “we are the generation of restoration”, calls for the involvement of everyone in the action of revitalizing water sources, restoring soils and growing forests.
Aqualia has joined this day by highlighting the importance of raising awareness among citizens about responsible habits that contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change and has published the data of the V Barometer of Sustainable Behaviors, prepared with data extracted from the thousands of tests carried out. by the participants in the Sosteniblometro initiative, collected between December 10, 2023, date of the previous consultation, to May 10, 2024.
Globally, they point to an improvement in habits related to the use and consumption of water on a daily basis.
Self-test to reflect
The Sustainability Meter is Aqualia's tool that, through a test of five simple questions, allows users to measure how sustainable their daily habits are. The result obtained invites you to reflect on what practices could be improved and how to do it, thanks to the sustainable advice to implement in daily habits that the tool provides.
Drought worries
Citizens' concern about the drought and the measures implemented in various parts of Spain to control water consumption have driven an increase in sustainable habits in recent months. Aqualia's 5th Sustainable Behavior Barometer reveals that 100% of the people surveyed say they turn off the shower tap while soaping up (compared to 93.3% in the previous wave), as well as the sink tap while brushing their hair. teeth. The same percentage runs the dishwasher only when it is full, checks that the taps at home are in good condition and do not leak water, and keeps cold water in the refrigerator so as not to run water from the tap when it is hot.
Good habits
Other widespread habits among the population are taking food out of the freezer early to avoid defrosting it with hot water, which 87% of those surveyed do; 93% affirm that they do not throw wet wipes down the toilet – a very important gesture so that giant masses do not form that clog the sanitation networks – and 50% ask for tap water in restaurants instead of bottled water, compared to a percentage of 47.3% obtained in the previous barometer (December 2023).
What can be improved
On habits to improve: moderate the use of hot water when washing dishes by hand, which only 20% of those surveyed do; collect the shower water in a container until it is hot and then use it to water, clean or pour it into the toilet, which only does 37.5%; and install pressure reducers in the cistern to save water, which only 40% of those surveyed have.
The most sustainable provinces
In this wave, the citizens of Jaén, Asturias, Cuenca and Córdoba have shown more sustainable behaviors. A data obtained from the relationship between citizens' scores on the test (sostenipoints) and the number of participants from each province.
The I Barometer of Sustainable Behaviors was launched in June 2022 and, since then, Aqualia has published
periodically the results of this study to raise awareness among citizens to continue adopting sustainable gestures in their daily lives. The Sustainability Meter is Aqualia's tool that, through a test of five simple questions, allows users to measure how sustainable their daily habits are. The result obtained invites you to reflect on what practices could be improved and how to do it, thanks to the sustainable advice to implement in daily habits that the tool provides.
Aqualia, as the first company certified by AENOR in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), highlights that water is fundamental for development and an engine of change to achieve a fairer society.