Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Hot Child, Summer in the City

Summer. Wonderful, beautiful, glorious summer is far and away my favorite time of year. I love the light. I love the long days. I love the food and the leisurely pace that comes from taking the time to slow down and relax. But here in NYC it is HOT. Really, truly, oppressively hot. And apparently we are not suffering the worst temperatures in the country. It is well established that watching the news can make me a lunatic, yet somehow I can’t stop myself. Everywhere there are reports of extreme weather. Extreme heat is pulverizing the middle of the country and Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas and their neighboring states are facing the most serious droughts since the Dust Bowl of the 20’s. All of this extreme weather has made me spend an enormous amount of my time thinking about water.

Water is our most precious and finite resource. Although about 70% of our planet is covered in water, only 1% of that water is available for human use. As the world’s population increases so does the demand for fresh water. The EPA has estimated that by 2013, 36 states are anticipating local, regional or statewide water shortages - and that is without drought-like conditions. So what do we do?

I created What You Can Do, because I firmly believe that we, all of us, want to help. I believe that we want to get involved and help fix these problems. And while we hold out hope that our elected officials will do their best to pass legislation to help ameliorate these issues, we can’t wait. We need to start with us. The good news is there are countless ways that we can easily save water in our everyday lives. Our Facebook fans collectively saved almost 2,000 gallons of water in a single week simply by turning off the faucet while brushing their teeth morning and night.

That’s just one idea! Here are some more:

• Cut your shower by just two minutes.
• Turn off the water while washing your face or shaving.
• While you are eating out, forgo the complimentary glass of water if you don’t intend to drink it.

There are hundreds more ways to conserve. It’s just a matter of turning our attention to this precious resource and being honest about what we really need. Below are a few videos with some simple tips to help us continue to effortlessly save water each day. You can also check out What You Can Do writer Karen T. Hartline’s blog : Every Last Drip (everylastdrip.blogspot.com) for more ideas. Also, please write in and share ideas of your own. I don’t believe that we are powerless. I believe we have a tremendous capacity for success. We just have to make it a priority in our own lives, even for just one minute, to prove to ourselves and to each other what we can do.

Conserve Water in your home

http://www.whatyoucando.ontheleesh.com/waterconservation/wc01.html

Small Changes that Save Water

http://www.whatyoucando.ontheleesh.com/waterconservation/wc04.html

Save Water while Dining Out
http://www.whatyoucando.ontheleesh.com/waterconservation/wc10.html

No comments:

Post a Comment