World Water Day

Photo: WorldWays Social Marketing, taken at St. James Recreation Center, Bronx, NY 

This post comes from our public health intern, Sandra Nakandakari Higa.

Today, Tuesday, March 22nd, is World Water Day, and to mark it, we are sharing a sneak peak of the upcoming campaign to promote water as the healthiest, free beverage in New York City. The campaign is a city-wide collaboration of the Partnership for a Healthier NYC, of which Bronx Health REACH is the Bronx borough lead.

We have often heard that we should aim to drink eight cups of water per day, however, the Institute of Medicine actually recommends about 13 cups per day for men and 9 cups for women. Drinking the right amount of water each day can help keep digestion going, maintain a healthy weight, improve mood, prevent headaches, and may even protect against some types of cancer. Moreover, drinking water may keep you from consuming sugary drinks like sodas and juices.

For those of us living in New York City, there are even more benefits. New York City is one of only five U.S. cities with a source of water so clean that it needs very little filtration. According to Emily Lloyd, New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner, “The New York City water supply system provides New Yorkers with not only one of the highest quality tap water, but it also happens to be about 1000 times less expensive than bottled water.”

The water promotion campaign is scheduled to launch in May 2016. It will include advertising on bus shelters and distribution of informational material by street teams at various locations and events in the Bronx including Boogie on the Boulevard, which begins in May and goes on throughout the summer.