Imagine a Day Without Water is a national day of action on Oct.15, designed to raise awareness of water’s essential role in everyday life and the urgent need to invest in water infrastructure, conservation and efficiency.

First launched in 2015 by the U.S. Water Alliance, the campaign brings together businesses, communities, public officials, environmental organizations and individuals to encourage action to protect this vital resource.

The economic consequences of losing water, even for a day, would be enormous. According to figures cited by the U.S. Water Alliance, a day without water would cost the U.S.:

• More than US$120 billion in economic losses.
• 526,996 jobs placed at risk.
• $39.2 billion in lost wages.
• A $69 billion reduction in gross domestic product.
• Over a 40% daily loss in economic output for water-dependent industries.

“Water is essential not only for drinking and sanitation, but for virtually all industries and every sector of the economy,” said Klaus Reichardt, founder and CEO of Waterless Co. Inc., a maker of water-efficient restroom products and marketer of no-water urinals.

The campaign encourages organizations to move beyond awareness and take practical steps to protect water supplies, including:

• Issuing official proclamations. Mayors, governors and local governments can recognize the day and encourage residents and businesses to support water efficiency.
• Offering staff awards. Reward staff or vendors that offer ways to reduce water consumption.
• Creating public awareness campaigns. Restaurants, coffee shops, schools and other organizations can use signage and social media to show how much water everyday activities require.
• Improving commercial restrooms. Facility managers can reduce water use by installing water-efficient fixtures, no-water urinals and smart water-management technologies.
• Conducting water audits. Businesses can evaluate how water is used throughout their facilities and identify ways to reduce waste.

“Water audits should not be overlooked,” Reichardt said. “They can identify inefficiencies and leaks and, most importantly, uncover opportunities to reduce water consumption—even eliminate water use entirely.”

Six-in-ten U.S. adults describe themselves as working class, up from 54% two years ago, according to the Pew Research Center. People across income groups and education levels adopt this identity, but partisanship is an especially strong factor. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to describe themselves as working class, even after taking economics, occupation and other traits into account.

Working-class identification also differs by race and ethnicity, Pew found. In particular, white adults are more likely than black adults to identify as working class. About six-in-ten white (62%) and Hispanic adults (59%) overall view themselves as working class, as do roughly half of black (54%) and Asian adults (52%).

Additionally, Americans without a college degree and those who are middle income are most likely to identify as working class. But large shares of higher-income and more-educated adults also said they are part of the working class:

• 66% of adults without bachelor’s degrees said “working class” describes them extremely or very well, but half of those with degrees said this, too.
• 67% of middle-income Americans said “working class” describes them well, but so do plenty of lower- (57%) and upper-income adults (50%).

Among blue-collar workers, 43% said they feel extremely or very satisfied with their jobs; by comparison, 53% of other workers express this level of satisfaction. And 15% of blue-collar workers are not too or not at all satisfied, compared with 10% of other workers.

However, slightly more than half of blue-collar workers ages 50 and older (56%) said they’re extremely or very satisfied with their jobs—considerably higher than the share among younger blue-collar workers. In particular, 32% of older blue-collar workers are extremely or very satisfied with their pay, while younger blue-collar workers are less likely to feel this way.