Whoever you are, wherever you are, water is your human right. That’s the theme of World Water Day 2019. It’s a day made official by the United Nations General Assembly that takes place every year on March 22. Did you know that regardless of who, or where you are, your water likely comes from a forest? According to the UN, forests provide 75 percent of the world’s freshwater. In addition, forests provide more than just water storage; trees help regulate rainfall through transpiration and filter out contaminants.

How the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Contributes
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is helping to conserve sources of clean water in the U.S. and Canada. Over half the drinking water in the U.S. and nearly two-thirds in Canada comes from forests and SFI’s work to advance sustainable forestry is ensuring the conservation of water resources. Water quality is one of the many important issues that the SFI standards address and SFI also influences water issues through the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program. Here are just a few recent grants:

You can support the water quality efforts of SFI by looking for the SFI label every time you shop. Products that carry the SFI label have met rigorous water quality standards. You can find the label on everything from tissue boxes to building materials.
4 Simple Ways to Support “Water for All”, #WorldWaterDay
Feeling inspired and want to do more? Here are a few easy ways to plug into World Water Day.

Read the fact sheet to understand what “safe water” means, why it’s important, and what needs to be done to leave no one behindGet inspired by true stories of what others are doing to fulfill the human right to water—from marathons to raise awareness to world summits to find solutionsGet free resources, including animations, to share with your friends onlineParticipate in a World Water Day event near you or create your own

Visit sfiprogram.org to learn more about sustainable forestry and water quality.

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