A Cool, Clean Drink of Information About Why Water Has Its Own Holiday

It seems like there’s a day for everything. Did you know that in the United States, April 16 is National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day? (Many of us will be observing that one this year.) This need to celebrate everything with a special day can lead to a sort of holiday fatigue—and since March 26 is “Make Up Your Own Holiday Day,” that would be a good day to make up a Holiday Fatigue Day. That is also the week we’ll be celebrating World Water Day (March 22).

Holiday fatigue might make you wonder why we even need a World Water Day (WWD). Water is easy to take for granted when it’s abundant, clean, and readily available. But today billions of people around the world lack access to safely managed drinking water. And with ecosystems around the world in decline, UN-Water—the interagency mechanism of the United Nations that coordinates the efforts of international organizations working on water and sanitation issues—predicts that by 2025 nearly 2 billion people will be living in conditions with absolute water scarcity. To put it simply: fresh, clean water is necessary for human survival but not everyone has it. It definitely deserves a day of recognition.

UN-Water launched WWD in 1993 to raise awareness of the importance of fresh water and to advocate for sustainably managing freshwater resources. Over nearly two decades, WWD has become a big deal: every year, the WWD digital and social media campaign reaches millions of people. Hundreds of events are held in over 100 countries, and interest in WWD continues to grow. Each year, WWD has a different theme: in 2020 it was Water and Climate Change; in the year prior it was Leaving No One Behind, with a focus on the challenges marginalized people face to access safe water.

This year’s WWD theme is all about conversations on the topic of valuing water. UN-Water created the hashtag #Water2Me and is asking people to share their stories about what water means to them. By collecting and highlighting stories about how water personally affects people around the world, UN-Water hopes to continue building on momentum toward a world where everyone has access to fresh water and proper sanitation.

What water means to us

In keeping with this year’s WWD theme, we’d like to let you know about some of the ways Thermo Fisher Scientific is thinking about the importance of water, and some of our efforts that are making a difference in the areas of water purification and analysis.

Enabling pure water for health care

Wherever the purity of a water supply is imperiled or inconsistent, one of the main dangers is to the quality of health care: if impure water is used, patients may receive either the wrong diagnosis, leading to improper treatment, or no diagnosis at all. Our customers use the Thermo Scientific™ Barnstead™ Water Purification Systems to provide pure water for labs in developing countries in support of patient health.

Helping to protect water from pollution

When power plants release cooling water back into the environment, they need to meet regulations for total residual oxidants (TROs) in the water. Our customers use the Thermo Scientific™ Orion™ 7070i TRO Analyzer to accurately measure common oxidants like chlorine and ozone, even in challenging water conditions. With our help, they’re working to keep our water systems cleaner.

Empowering you with free water testing

We want our customers to know what’s in their water, too. That’s why we offer free kits for you to test the composition of your own water supply. Request your own Thermo Scientific™ H2O Select™ water analysis kit and learn more about our water quality efforts at thermofisher.com/waterquality

Supporting nonprofits dedicated to improving water access

You’re probably familiar with our BPA/BPS-free, durable Nalgene bottles. Each year, we issue a limited-edition Nalgene Water Fund Exclusive Bottle with a unique design. The Nalgene Water Fund supports communities struggling with access to clean water by partnering with grassroots nonprofits to raise funds and awareness. A portion of the purchase of every bottle is donated to support such organizations. Get yours at nalgene.com/nalgene-water-fund

On World Water Day and every day, our Mission at Thermo Fisher is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Supporting efforts to provide fresh, accessible water for everyone can help us reach this goal.

Now that you know more about what water means to us, we encourage you to share what water means to you. Join the online conversation about our most precious resource using the hashtag #water2me.