'Save Water, Energy and Protect the Environment' with NI Water’s School Poster Competition

This year the NI Water Schools Poster Competition is asking pupils to draw a poster to inspire others to 'Save water, save energy and protect the environment’ highlighting the benefits of saving water and demonstrating the simple things we can all do that will make a big difference.

NI Water’s Learning and Outreach Officer Anna Killen said “Our primary school competition is very popular and a great way of getting everyone involved with the water saving message!

"Water is our most valuable resource on earth and is essential for all living things; we cannot live without it. Water has become more precious than ever before with the impact of global warming and climate change causing weather and rainfall patterns to change. We want to raise awareness around this, and this year’s theme is a great way to spread the water efficiency message!

“The energy used to clean, transport and heat water also has a big impact on our environment so saving water and reducing the amount we waste can help us look after our environment while ensuring we have enough water for everyone.

“We want the poster competition to inspire children to remind everyone that in Northern Ireland, we use a lot water and it is something we should not take for granted. We use it for drinking, washing, for industry and farming.

"In fact, we each use approximately 170 litres of water a day! People mistakenly believe that the heavy rain we experience in this country means that we do not need to be careful with the water we use but all that water needs to be cleaned and pumped to our homes and schools.

“We all have a responsibility to conserve water where possible. The more water we use means more energy is used to clean and pump it to our homes. If we waste that water, we also waste the energy used to bring it safely to us.”

Simple ways to save water at home and some ideas for your poster:

Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.

Collect rainwater in a waterbutt to water the plants

Using buckets to wash the car rather than a hose (a hose pipe can release as much as 18 litres of water a minute)

Mend leaking taps – taps that drip once a second lose 33 litres of water a day, 5500 litres of water a year

One flush of the toilet uses 9 litres of water- use a save a flush in the cistern.

Keep a jug of water in the fridge rather than running the tap each time you want a glass of water.

Final entries should be submitted by 5pm Friday 26th May 2023.