Just one drop per second wastes 25 litres a day of clean, fresh water
TORONTO, March 20, 2013 /CNW/ - While most Canadians (75 per cent) would
fix an internet outage within a few hours or a day, and two-thirds (64
per cent) would repair a TV reception problem that quickly, only half
(52 per cent) would fix a leaky faucet within the same timeframe.
Further, one-third of Canadians (33 per cent) would take up to a week
or more to stop the drip, according to the sixth annual 2013 RBC
Canadian Water Attitudes Study, commissioned by the RBC Blue Water
Project and administered by GlobeScan.
"With just days to go until World Water Day on March 22, we'd like
Canadians to think about the value of clean, fresh water," says Bob
Sandford, chair of Canadian Partnership Initiative of the UN Water for
Life Decade. "To continue enjoying the quality of drinking water we all
want and need, Canadians must understand that it's a finite resource."
Leaking faucets can be deceptively large water wasters, says Sandford. A
tap leaking at a rate of only one drop per second can waste more than
25 litres of water a day - which adds up to about 10,000 litres a year.
The culprit is usually a worn-out washer that costs just a few cents to
repair.
According to the study, Canadians ages 18 to 34 are least likely to
repair the leaky faucet within a few hours or a day (45 per cent) and
Canadians aged 55 and older are the most likely to fix the drip quickly
(65 per cent).
Younger Canadians feel most guilty about negative behavior - yet do it
anyway
Canadians ages 18 to 34 are much more likely to feel guilty about their
own negative impact on the environment (45 per cent) than 35 to 55 year
olds (28 per cent) or Canadians aged 55+ (19 per cent). Yet, despite
this guilt, Canadians ages 18 to 34 are least likely, among all Canadians to:
-
Avoid watering the lawn in the summer (44 per cent versus 51 per cent
and 54 per cent, respectively, for 35 to 55 year olds and those age 55
and older)
-
Shower for no more than five minutes on any given day (23 per cent
versus 41 per cent and 64 per cent, respectively, for 35 to 55 year
olds and those age 55 and older)
-
Pay attention to news and other information about fresh water issues (33
per cent versus 35 per cent and 47 per cent, respectively, for 35 to 55
year olds and those age 55 and older)
According to the study, young Canadians are far more likely to admit to
treating themselves to an extra-long shower when they 'want to relieve
stress or get away from it all' (37 per cent versus 18 per cent and 10
per cent, respectively, for 35 to 55 year olds and 55+).
About the 2013 RBC Canadian Water Attitudes Study
The 2013 RBC Canadian Water Attitudes Study included an online survey
administered by GlobeScan between January 23 and February 11, 2013. It
included a sample of 2,282 Canadian adults from GMI's Canadian panel.
Weighting was employed to balance demographics, to ensure the sample's
composition reflects the adult population according to Canadian Census
data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample
universe. Results were weighted by gender, age, region, and community
size. The sample included a minimum of 200 respondents in each of
Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal, and 300 in Toronto. The margin of
error for a strict probability sample for as sample of this size
(n=2,282) would be ±2.
About RBC Blue Water Project
The RBC Blue Water Project is an historic, wide-ranging, 10-year global
commitment to help protect the world's most precious natural resource:
fresh water. Since 2007, RBC has pledged over $36 million to more than
500 charitable organizations worldwide that protect watersheds and
promote access to clean drinking water, with an additional $6 million
pledged to universities for water programs. In 2013-2014, the RBC Blue
Water Project will focus on supporting initiatives that help protect
water in towns, cities and urbanized areas. For further information,
visit rbc.com/bluewater.
About RBC Community and Sustainability
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate
under the master brand name RBC. We employ approximately 80,000 full-
and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal,
business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in
Canada, the U.S. and 49 other countries. RBC is recognized among the
world's financial, social and environmental leaders and is listed on
the 2012 - 2013 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, the DJSI North
American Index, the Jantzi Social Index and the FTSE4Good Index. RBC is
one of Canada's Greenest Employers, one of Canada's 50 Most Socially
Responsible Corporations and among the Global 100 Most Sustainable
Corporations in the World.
RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations,
sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2012, we contributed
more than $95 million to causes worldwide, including donations and community
investments of more than $64 million and $31 million in sponsorships.
SOURCE: RBC
