Water Atl Mizu - It's All About Water. The Stewardship of it.
This is the fourth post in the series dedicated to WATER in honor of World Water Day 2009.
It may not have occurred to you to consider yourself a steward of water. *The Earth is 70% water. 2.5% of that is freshwater, the rest salt water. Water unites all life on this planet. We all need water to survive, to thrive. Each one of us is responsible for the quality and availability of safe, clean water because the very nature of water is to flow. It is in a constant state of coming and leaving. Water requires us to share.
I live in the Pacific Northwest where water is abundant. The Pacific Ocean is to the west. There are a multitude of fresh water lakes, streams, creeks, puddles everywhere. To drink water, all I have to do is turn on the tap. I have a few of them in my house. And outside of my house in the yard. Abundant water. Even though it is so very plentiful here, the way I take stewardship of the water while it is briefly in my care, affects all others connected to that water. And that's you.
If I add a lot of chemicals to my water, say detergents, cleaning agents, nitrates, or even expired or unwanted medication, you get the benefit. I'm using 'benefit' loosely here. In America, we have a better water treatment system than most, and yet our water treatment facilities are not able to remove many of the chemicals we add to water - so they stay. The next glass of water has more of those tiny particles in it. Granted, anything I may flush down the toilet, or pour down my drain is minor. Have you ever thought about what it would take for minor to become major? If every household contributes to the pollution of our water in a minor way, it can become major pretty quickly.
What is really in your drinking water? You can see your water utilities annual report. It's usually on thier website or you can request a copy. Here is an interesting report that shows by state, the trends in clean water spending. For more information, here is the National Tap Water Database. Search the Environmental Working Groups website for many reports and articles about water.
Water scarcity is a stewardship issue too, not just in some areas of the United States that have been or are moving toward a state of drought. Millions of people around the world do not have access to clean water for bathing, drinking or growing food.
For me Water Stewardship is about respect. It's about considering the complete water circle from beginning to end. It's about honoring my responsibility to care for water now, so that the coming generations can do the same. It's about considering the effects of my actions before I take them if at all possible.
For today, join me in honoring Water and World Water Day. Open up the conversation in the comment section below. What do you put down your drain? What does Water Stewardship mean to you? You can subscribe to all comments on my blog in the "Subscribe" area of the sidebar.
*percentages provided by charity:water
photo via Lino Alvarez openphoto and the Creative Commons Attribution License
Posts
2 comments:
I listened to your radio blog and appreciate how you presented the need to raise our awareness of being good stewards. I think if we looked at our natural resources as we would a beloved our responsibility would become more clear; easier to make honoring their spirits a part of our daily routine as we walk through this time.
Thank you for all you do and give.
Mom thank you for your comment. Looking at natural resources as a beloved is a lovely perspective. Thank you for sharing that.
Post a Comment