Today is World Water Day, which focuses attention on the importance of water. The theme for World Water Day 2018 is ‘Nature for Water’ – exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century.
Water: The Facts
Many of us take for granted the fact we turn on our taps and have running water, however 2.1 billion people worldwide lack access to safely managed drinking water services, affecting their health, education and livelihoods. 1.9 billion live in potentially severely water-scarce areas. An estimated 1.8 billion people use an unimproved source of drinking water with no protection against contamination from human faeces.
By 2050, the world’s population will have grown by an estimated 2 billion people and global water demand could be up to 30% higher than it is, and the number of people without access to safe drinking water could rise to around 3 billion.
Water Usage
Agriculture currently accounts for 70% of global water withdrawals, mostly for irrigation – a figure which rises in areas of high water stress and population density. Industry takes 20% of the total, dominated by energy and manufacturing. The remaining 10% goes to domestic use – the proportion used for drinking water is much less than 1%.
Nature for Water - Nature-Based Solutions
Environmental damage, together with climate change, is driving the water-related crises we see around the world. Floods, drought and water pollution are all made worse by degraded vegetation, soil, rivers and lakes.
Restoring forests, grasslands and natural wetlands, reconnecting rivers to floodplains, creating buffers of vegetation along watercourses are all examples of nature-based solutions that help the management of water availability and quality. Nature-based solutions have the potential to solve many of our water challenges. We need to do so much more with ‘green’ infrastructure and harmonise it with ‘grey’ infrastructure wherever possible.
Waterless Beauty: A K-Beauty Trend with a Deeper Message?
With water becoming an increasingly precious resource, beauty brands are investing in products that use less water and more sustainable production processes, helping you to help with what could one day in our lifetimes be a huge environmental issue. According to Mintel, some 27% of us in the UK are trying to use less water in our beauty regimens.
Current production methods of many industries, not just beauty, involve heavy water usage. In fact, industry accounts for 20% of global water usage (with 70% to agriculture and 10% domestic use with just 1% for drinking!) So it's not just water in the final product you have to consider, but also the production process.
Some advantages of waterless beauty products include:
- less reliance on synthetic preservatives, resulting in a cleaner final product.
- greater concentration of active ingredients, and in many instances a more effective ingredient used as a water alternative, such as a hydrosol (a flower water – rose and lavender are both commonly used) or aloe vera juice or gel, which are water-rich but also contain minerals and micronutrients to feed the skin.
Our Favourite Waterless Beauty Products on Kijani Living
Aloe Vera Barbadensis Juice replaces water as the main ingredient in this shampoo, and is combined with Spirulina Maxima extract to deeply nourish and restore hair’s natural moisture balance. Equisetum Arvense Leaf Extract and Vitamin E add healthy lustre. Renewed with silky moisture, your hair shines with soft manageability. Safe for colour-treated hair.
Give a lift to tired, stressed and sun-damaged skin with this nutrient-rich face oil that helps to deliver antioxidants and essential nourishment for fresh, healthy skin. Superior collagen-boosting action of avocado oil helps reduce the appearance of lines, age spots and scars. Perfect as an essential daily nutrient treatment for skin.
Alba Botanica Hawaiian Body Scrub - Revitalizing Sea Salt
Wake up bright delight with this purifying scrub. Revitalizing Pacific sea salts deeply detox and exfoliate while a burst of citrus awakens and renews. A medley of jojoba, macadamia, avocado and sweet almond oils lavish moisture to soften and hydrate.
