Did you know today, March 22^nd, marks World Water Day? The United Nations General Assembly made the day an official global celebration 23 years ago in 1993.

It highlights water’s absolute necessity in our lives. But the aim is to go much farther beyond that. Today, says the UN, half the world’s employees (about 1.5 billion people), work in water-related sectors.

You know lots of people don’t have access to the clean water they need just to survive. But what do the numbers really look like?

The UN says around 783 million people can’t access clean water. 2.5 billion don’t have adequate sanitation. And 6 to 8 million die from water-related diseases each year.

At Pollock, we like to do our small part to contribute to sustainability. We may not be able to solve the problem. But we can spread awareness and take certain steps to make sure everyone has what they need to live healthy lives.

Here are some ideas for making a contribution and being a part of the solution, rather than the problem, at your organization:

1. Recyclable food service disposables – Think of all the waste that accumulates because of the plates, cups, containers, bags, and packaging you and your customers use just once – and then throw away. Now, multiply that by millions of times across our nation’s entire population. That’s an awful lot of garbage – for just a single use. Consider replacing all those items with ones made from recyclable materials. Plus, you can advertise that you do it to your employees and customers so you build your company’s reputation.

2. Green cleaning chemicals – According to facilitiesnet, US commercial buildings consume 2 billion pounds of cleaning chemicals annually. They mostly consist of petroleum, a nonrenewable natural resource. Some companies simply send these chemicals down the drain, where they seep into our own water supply or evaporate into the air and cause further damage. Green cleaning products make for a simple solution to this problem.

3. Waterless urinals – These urinals are just as they sound – completely waterless. That’s right. They’re absolutely, positively 100% dry. They’re constructed in such a way that they catch and drain urine without any water use at all. Big venues like the New York Mets’ Citi Field Stadium, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta use them.

Can you save the world? No. But can you make a difference? Absolutely. Better to act now than before our environment experiences a major crisis.

Those are just some simple suggestions. Many more ideas exist. What can you do to build a more sustainable business today?