GEF

Unit 1  |  Why Water Matters 22 Clean water is essential to health. According to the U.S Geological Survey, in the United States, each person uses about 80 – 100 gallons of water per day. That’s about ten to thirty times the amount used by individuals in developing nations. This is partly due to the fact that most developed countries enjoyed an unprecedented abundance of water during the twentieth century, encouraging wasteful use and setting prices so low that water was essentially free. The fountains at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas are an example of an indulgent use of water resources. ?  DID YOU KNOW The United Nations (UN), an international an orga- nization formed in 1945 to increase political and eco- nomic cooperation among member countries.