--- description: Sunday is World Water Day, a United Nations initiative to celebrate clean water and bring attention to those who don't have enough of it title: 5 Ways to Celebrate World Water Day image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87246745740847d8/6987782ecd6848201f098ec0/water.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Public Health](/tag/public-health/) ## Public Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 5 Ways to Celebrate World Water Day  by [Mandy Oaklander](/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Mar 21, 2015 4:38 PM CUT  Water being poured from a pitcher into tall glass clear glass. Water being poured from a pitcher into tall glass clear glass.Getty Images  by [Mandy Oaklander](/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Mar 21, 2015 4:38 PM CUT Sunday is World Water Day, a United Nations initiative to celebrate clean water and bring attention to those who don’t have enough of it. [A new report](http://time.com/3753332/world-water-day-un-warning/ "undefined") released ahead of World Water Day warns about a looming shortage, and centers on this year’s theme: water and sustainable development. Here are five ways to celebrate World Water Day **Learn about poop water** First [charcoal juice becomes a thing](http://time.com/3678820/charcoal-juice-health-benefits/ "undefined"), and now poop water? Hey, Bill Gates drinks it—[thanks to a new machine](http://time.com/3656199/bill-gates-drinks-water-poop/ "undefined") called the Omniprocessor that literally transforms waste into water through a steam engine. On his [blog](http://www.gatesnotes.com/Development/Omniprocessor-From-Poop-to-Potable "undefined"), Gates writes about drinking a “delicious” fresh glass of it and marvels at the possibilities to improve sanitation in low-income countries. “The processor wouldn’t just keep human waste out of the drinking water; it would turn waste into a commodity with real value in the marketplace,” Gates writes. **Take a break from meat** Showering and hydration are hardly your main uses of water—but food is. The average American uses 7,500 liters of water each day, [according to the U.N.](http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/learn/en/?section=c325497 "undefined") If you’re eating meat, your water usage shoots way up; a steak dinner for two requires 15,000 liters of water for the meat alone. Eating more meat and dairy has been the single greatest factor for water consumption in the past 30 years, says the group—so going vegetarian, even temporarily, can make a difference. **Wash your hands the right way** [Only 5% of Americans do](http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/06/14/only-5-of-americans-wash-their-hands-right/ "undefined"), according to a study of men using public restrooms. (If you need a refresher on proper technique, you should use soap and water and wash for at least 15 seconds.) Sounds gross—and it is a public health hazard, according to UNICEF, organizers of [Global Handwashing Day](http://www.unicef.org/media/media%5F60084.html "undefined"), another water-related holiday worth celebrating. “Handwashing with soap prevents disease in a more straightforward and cost-effective way than any single vaccine,” supporter UNICEF writes. ### You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered  You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver? Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me? Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? Yes, teeth whitening actually works—but here's why you have to dish out major bucks to see results. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Meditation Really Worth It? From easing stress to lowering heart disease risk, focusing your mind can do some amazing things for your body. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Healthiest Sweetener? Take a taste of the unsettled science of sweeteners. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Should I Go Paleo? The pros and cons of eating like a caveman. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Cracking Your Knuckles Bad? Here's what really happens to your joints when you snap, crackle and pop. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Running on a Treadmill as Good as Running Outside? You'll fool your body into thinking it's outside with this one small treadmill tweak. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Does Laughing Have Real Health Benefits? Here's proof that everybody could use a belly laugh. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What Is My Poo Telling Me? If you listen hard enough, you'll hear all kinds of health stories from #2. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME **Support a future female farmer** Most of the world’s hungry are women, says the U.N.’s new report, and most don’t own land—or even have time to make an income, since 25% of their day is spent collecting drinking water. “With equal access to resources and knowledge, female farmers, who account for the majority of all subsistence farmers, could produce enough additional food to reduce the number of the world’s hungry by 150 million,” the report says. Investing in water and sanitation actually helps improve equality, which helps stimulate the economy—every dollar invested yields between $5-28, the UN estimates. **Give better water to the world** A new report from WaterAid America found that [one in five babies born in the developing world dies during its first month of life](http://time.com/3747473/babies-poor-hygiene/ "undefined") because of a lack of clean water. And 35% of facilities in middle- and lower-income countries didn’t have water and soap for hand-washing, another report from the World Health Organization found. John Green, author of _The Fault In Our Stars_, [recently teamed up with Bill Gates](http://time.com/3418834/john-green-bill-gates-clean-water-ethiopia/ "undefined") to raise money for clean, safe water in Ethiopia. You can donate to water.org [here](http://give.water.org/f/johngreen/?utm%5Fsource=greengates&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fcampaign=johngreen%5Fethiopia "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3753021/world-water-day/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3753021/world-water-day/"},"headline":"5 Ways to Celebrate World Water Day","datePublished":"2015-03-21T16:38:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:04:57.300Z","description":"A holiday for H2O","url":"https://time.com/3753021/world-water-day/","keywords":["Public Health","Environment","Water"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87246745740847d8/6987782ecd6848201f098ec0/water.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mandy Oaklander","jobTitle":"Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87246745740847d8/6987782ecd6848201f098ec0/water.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"water","caption":"water","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/public-health/","name":"Public Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3753021/world-water-day/","name":"5 Ways to Celebrate World Water Day"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Drink Seltzer Water?","description":"Seltzer -- also known as bubbly water, carbonated water, soda water and sparkling water -- comes with as many health myths as it does names. 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