How much freshwater do we really need is something that we should all be asking ourselves. Since I have been living on my own I really took the time to watch myself, and take note of my wastefulness. The more I learn regarding the environment, the more I feel like everyone should know. I have had the blessing of being able to inform other people about areas of their lives where are being unnecessarily wasteful. I’m not saying that there is really a necessary way to be wasteful, but there are some completely oblivious ways to be wasteful. I have taught my roommates to be more environmentally aware by just thinking about their trash as a thing leaving your own possession to go to another place, and where would you like it to go? The simple concept of viewing your trash as something rather than a nuisance brought about a whole frenzy of recycling and reusing. The toughest change that I have been encouraging my roommates and friends to take on is water usage. In our house we try to take shorter showers by just being efficient while you are showering verses standing and enjoying the water. Also we have noticed a big change when we all started to turn off the water while shaving, and then just turning the water back on when you were through. Small things really do make a difference. Whenever you have a bottle of water you are not going to finish or even a pot that you were soaking with water, rather than pouring all of that down the drain, why not throw it outside on a plant. At least in that case the water can be filtered down through the soil, and would nourish the plant and evaporate, and continue the water cycle from your backyard. This would cut back some of your watering, and it is simple things like this that keep us thinking about what we are really doing. Our society is making a shift in our way of thinking, but do we really have the time to wait for a gradual change? Our societies wastefulness is already affecting people, and finally we are getting to the point where we have to “reap what we sew.” All this time where we were under this false illusion of an unending plentiful amount of resources is really proving to be finite, and won’t last us at our current consumption rate. We have to face this by taking preventative steps; like in the East Bay they are taking action by forcing residents in Contra Costa and Alameda counties to reducing their water consumption by 19%. The rest of the article goes on to talk about what other counties in Northern California are doing. This is really something that we need to be on top of. No one can turn his or her cheek from this, and it is even affecting California. California is a fruitful state, that depends on our agriculture and so does the rest of the country. We all need to act as if were are in a drought right now, and make necessary adjustments.
Below is the full article from the San Francisco Chronicle.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/14/BA3U10LJKB.DTL
The Internet Health Library, a United Kingdom based website, indexes medical health journal articles and a plethora of information free. Here’s some fun facts about water:
“We can go without food for weeks but without water we die of dehydration in a few days. Over two-thirds of our body is water yet most of us don’t clearly understand the importance of drinking plain water…[furthermore] As people age, they lose their thirst sensation and become gradually, chronically- dehydrated. All too frequently we tend to confuse thirst with hunger and instead of drinking water we eat, leading to weight gain.”
For the full page article visit: http://www.internethealthlibrary.com/Environmental-Health/WaterTheEssentialNutrient.htm
//News contributed by: Shelby
From the Dot Com failure to the housing bubble burst, investors and corporations have moved to water privatization for a new get rich scheme. This article by Alternet.org claims politicians and corporations are working together to take control of our water supply, and continues to say:
“This radical shift to the private sector could become one of history’s largest transfers of ownership, control, and wealth from the public trust to the private till. But more is at stake. The concept of democracy itself is being challenged by multinational corporations that see Americans not as citizens, but as customers, and government not as something of, by, and for the people, but as a market to be entered for profit.”
This 3 page article reveals who is moving in to buy up our water, how this affects U.S. citizens, and what some of us are doing to to stop this. For further information on this article visit:
Alternet.org
//News contributed by: Ivan
Anup Shah is a writer, editor, and web master of Global Issues.org, a non-profit website committed to raising awareness on world issues. Shah writes articles in his spare time and has provided very insightful knowledge on the issue of water privatization and access to clean water. In his article on “Water & Development” he begins by discussing a report released by the United Nations in 2006 about the ongoing state of clean water all around the world. While his article may appear to be outdated, the current trend of water privatization continues. Nevertheless, he raises concern over the value of water and proposes a serious question: “Water: A Human Right or a Commodity?” The question is explored throughout the article while touching on other issues such as corporations, politics, and war over this water business.
For further information please visit the article: Global Issues.org - Water & Development.
//News contributed by: Ivan
Just got done redesigning the website. This one looks much more eye appealing, don’t you think? Also, the new ShareThis is a new feature that makes it easier for you to let others knows about a certain post or info about this website via email, social networking sites (myspace, facebook), and news reporting sites. Let everyone you know about us!
Compare the two:
The old.. 
The new.. 
I designed the new logo with the impression that our world is teetering, balanced by the decisions we make each day. We can live in a beautiful world if we work together to conserve and reduce, or we can continue to waste.
The rapid defrost occurring over the arctic region poses a series of dangerous and unforeseeable events. Furthermore, a new threat has emerged with the possibility of a bomb in the making. Scientists have discovered a process currently unfolding over a lake where land that should be permanently frozen or “permafrost” is now thawing and releasing a highly flammable gas. The scientist currently investigating this matter is Katey Walter, 32, from the University of Alaska. Her report shows global warming as the lead cause for rapid thawing and is responsible for the gas, methane, that is currently escaping into the environment.
The LA Times reports on this investigation, “[this] gurgling gas could change the entire model for predicting global warming. And lakes are not the only methane source.” Methane gas is highly flammable and was demonstrated when a scientist struck a lighter and instantly turned the gas into flames. The warning is out, a substance much more dangerous than carbon-dioxide is on the rise. For more information and a video please visit the LA Times report.
//News contributed by Cyrus F.
This is a California plan to fix the delta to make it more sustainable, however, I want to focus on page 8 since this shows the California water supply and how that water is divided between agriculture/urban/environmental usage. It is an interesting table that reveals how we as CA are using our water supply in recent years and what may indicate the possibility of dried seasons as of late. Below is a screenshot of page 8 for quick reference:
Screenshot by: Michael
For a full version of the document in PDF format visit: http://www.deltavision.ca.gov/BlueRibbonTaskForce/FinalVision/Delta_Vision_Final.pdf