Water is a vital component of life. Yet access to water and sanitation services is a big challenge in the developing world. Developing water infrastructure, such as dams and desalination plants, can positively impact the environment.

Healthy Habits

Water projects such as Cadiz Water Project can help communities develop healthy habits for living sustainably. These habits can include recycling, eating healthy, and getting regular physical activity. Developing these healthy habits will make you happier and more beneficial in the long run. You’ll feel more relaxed, have more energy and be more productive – and it will help the environment too! A simple way to keep track of your health and wellness is by using a fitness tracking app or meditating for five minutes a day. Seeing the progress you’re making will help you stay motivated to continue. Another way to improve your health and the environment is to choose reusable water bottles instead of single-use plastic ones. Reusable water bottles are easy to carry, can reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean, and are biodegradable and compostable.

Clean Water

Access to clean water is essential to people’s and the environment’s health. It reduces the risk of illness, saves lives, and helps communities thrive physically, mentally, and spiritually. Water can be cleaned through effective filtration, removing pollutants such as metals, pesticides, and overabundant nutrients. It also allows rivers to naturally filter out sediment, reducing the potential for flooding and droughts. The United States has many state revolving funds that distribute low-interest loans to high-quality water projects. These funds support communities by providing flexible financing terms, additional subsidization, and technical assistance. The Clean Water Act is a federal law that regulates pollution from point-source and non-point sources. It aims to prevent pollutants from entering the oceans and lakes by holding industrial waste, wastewater, stormwater, and agricultural runoff discharges into rivers.

Clean Air

Air pollution is one of the biggest threats to human health and is responsible for killing over seven million people annually. It’s also a key driver of climate change. Environmental factors influence air quality, including weather and geography, forest fires, pollution sources in the surrounding area, land management practices, crop fertilization and transportation, and industrial and power plant emissions. Identifying the sources and understanding their impact is crucial to addressing air quality, but most cities need more tools. Clean air can help improve the health of communities, protect ecosystems, and conserve resources by reducing pollutants and preventing them from returning to the atmosphere. It can also reduce short-lived climate pollutants (greenhouse gases, or GHGs) that trap heat and worsen climate change. These benefits are particularly significant in developing countries where clean air can help reduce premature deaths and increase food security.

Healthy Communities

A healthy community is where people enjoy a quality of life that combines the necessities for health, such as peace and security, food, water, shelter, employment, education, income, the physical environment, social support, and so on. The health of a community is determined by the collective actions and policies of all its sectors. These sectors include local government, the private sector, the public sector, non-government organizations, and the people. The CDC Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities approach brings these sectors together to reorient their policies and activities toward creating a healthy community. It also helps to identify the many human, institutional, organizational, environmental, and other assets and resources that can be used to achieve this vision.