It is necessary not to shower every day to take care of the environment. Myth or Reality?

What signal is Kristen Bell waiting for to give her children a bath? 0:53 (CNN Spanish) — Surely you heard someone you know say: “I don’t take a shower every day to take care of the environment.” And some may use it as an argument because they are too lazy to go underwater, but there are also those who believe it. That’s why we asked the experts: is it necessary to skip the shower? Where is the key to domestic savings? “Not bathing some days of the week in more extreme situations of scarcity may be necessary but not desirable. In normal situations, however, it is expected that people can bathe as many times as they consider necessary to maintain their hygiene, but regulating the water consumption to the right amount,” Miguel Doria, regional hydrologist of the International Hydrological Program of the UNESCO Office of Science for Latin America and the Caribbean, explained to CNN. Danilo Ríos, Master in Environmental Engineering and professor at the University of the Republic of Uruguay, agrees that it is not advisable to eliminate the bathroom. “There are a lot of things before,” he notes, explaining that such a measure alone could be considered “irrelevant” compared to other areas where savings can be made. “There are less drastic and much more forceful actions,” says Ferney Díaz, coordinator of Strategic Communications for WWF Colombia. What can we do against climate change? 1:42It’s not that household savings don’t matter, in fact it’s essential according to experts. “Individual actions add up and are important, particularly in situations of water scarcity,” says Doria. Díaz agrees that “in homes there is definitely an epicenter of gigantic change.” But where? Before answering this question, a note: as we talk about how much we should shower, it’s important to remember that being able to shower is actually a privilege in itself. Water is considered a right and yet 2.2 billion people do not have access to drinking water services, according to the UN. “One of the focuses (in the work on water), without a doubt, should be on ensuring that everyone has access and achieving a fair distribution of the resource,” explains Doria, adding that even those who do have access “do not always have a continuous supply, of quality and quantity”. To save water at home, the key may be in the place you least imagine The determining contribution that we can make as individuals, according to Díaz from WWF Colombia, is far from the shower: it is to reduce food waste. What is the link? About 70% of the fresh water used goes for food production. And about 40% of food is wasted in the different parts of the process. That means that, in addition, the water used in its production is wasted. Therefore, purchasing, cooking and food consumption decisions are key. In this sense, Díaz suggests that a varied diet that favors the consumption of fruits and vegetables, which represent about 60% of wasted food, is ideal. The world wastes 2.5 billion tons a year 0:51He also recommends choosing products that are close to their expiration date and not discarding fruits and vegetables based on their appearance. In the discussion of shower vs. food consumption, the figures are the strongest argument. An example: Díaz explains that, on average, “to produce a large banana, about 160 liters of water are used, the equivalent of taking a shower for 17 minutes. This is what is lost when we throw away a banana.” For Díaz, it is key to adapt our habits to the fact that resources are limited. “We can’t continue to act as if we live in a world where resources are infinite,” he explains. What things should I take into account when showering? If you need that shower, go ahead. But keep in mind some recommendations. “Instead of not bathing, you can adopt habits like turning off the tap while soaping up, avoiding soaking baths, or limiting shower use to five minutes. For example, in some communities where bath water is heated with fire wood, people manage to bathe with about five liters of water”, explains Doria of UNESCO. Another piece of advice is to use aerators or dispersers, say Doria and Ríos, since these allow water to be saved. In the bathroom, another element to optimize is the toilets: it is desirable to use low-flow and dual-flush ones, says Doria. Water scarcity is not a threat for the future, it is a present problem Three figures released by the UN show to what extent scarcity is a present problem: close to 4,000 million people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month of the Every year, some 2 billion live in countries with water scarcity problems and, by 2030, some 700 million could be displaced by severe scarcity. Alert declared in California for extreme water scarcity 2:50According to a study published in August in the journal Nature Communications, 933 million urban residents lived in regions with water scarcity in 2016, approximately 30% of the total urban population. India, China, the United States and Mexico topped the list. Panorama 2050 According to projections, the problem of water scarcity will worsen considerably. Among urban populations, the Nature Communications study estimates that just over 2.065 million people will face water scarcity by 2050. There are several factors behind this problem, according to the study: population growth, urbanization, socioeconomic development which increases demand and climate change, which will impact the spatial distribution and availability of water. “The situation of water resources is worrying in several parts of the world and the region: we have glaciers that are retreating, droughts and floods that are more and more intense. The demographic increase also implies a reduction in the amount of water available per capita and the urbanization can generate a higher population density in the basins. All this makes the management of water resources much more complex,” explains Doria. Historic drought causes water outages in the US 0:49What health experts say about the need to shower every day Is it necessary to shower every day for health? For adults, the answer depends on daily activities, Elaine Larson, a resident professor at the New York Academy of Medicine and emeritus professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, recently told CNN. The expert says that, for example, the daily shower is not necessary if you spend most of the day inside your house and do not come into contact with unknown germs. And she says this is especially true for older adults, whose skin dries out with frequent washing and can backfire. The same recommendations are not maintained for all ages. Babies, children and teens have different needs, according to Dr. Andrew Doyle, a pediatrician at Wellstar Health System in Marietta, Georgia. Here you can check the recommendations.