Safe Water World Wide Starts with You.
I could sit here and paint a picture of words, but they are just that – words. To correct our water problems through out the World we need action and change. Everyone asks “When will we have safe water for all?”, the answer is simple – when we as humans take action.
Water is our most precious resource and yet we all take it for granted. We abuse it and waste it and yet, we all need water to live. So do our pets, plants and every living thing on this planet. What one person does effects the entire world.
When we think of countries with poor water systems we automatically think of the countries that have less like Ethiopia. But countries everywhere, rich and poor, have poor water systems. Pollution and contamination is not prejudice, it does not care what color, race or creed you are. It is everywhere.
People die everyday because they do not have safe water. Thousands die and we continue to do the same thing. We are murdering our fragile ecosystem and we appear not to care.
Here in the U.S. we waste and pollute water daily. If we want to have safe water we need to make changes now. We need to make changes one person at a time.
Other countries like India for example, need to realize too, how precious this is. We cannot have 100 people go to the same spot to bathe and worship everyday and expect that water to be clean. We need to make sure countries have bathing areas and sanitation, other than rivers. We also need to teach the people how to use them and care for them once they have them. Many people have a septic tank but do not know how to care for it.
You cannot relieve yourself in the ocean and expect it to have no impact.
UNICEF is doing a terrific job trying to place irrigation and recovery systems in various countries. I applaud them. But we need to do more. We need to change habits. We need to have more people and organizations involved.
If we purify water in one country, let’s say Japan, now they have better water for drinking but at the same time they are dumping all their chemicals into the ocean, so now everyone else is effected. We need to force companies to find a better way of handling their waste. We need to support companies that make efforts and ban those that destroy.
We need to educate individuals of how their habits may effect the earth.
1. Stop buying bottled water. We here in the U.S. buy billions of bottled water weekly, which is a problem all in itself but the point is we now have so much water in in bottles that it has impaired our natural weather cycles. We have more droughts than ever. Water bottles do not dissolve for over 500 years and over half of them never make it to be recycled. They are made of oil and are not safe.
2. We wash cars with our garden hoses. We need find the car wash that recycles the water that drains off to save water and prevent ground contamination. Do you realize when you wash your vehicle, the chemicals go into the ground?
3. We need to turn water off when we are not using it. Shorten shower time. Be sure when you turn them off that they do not leak or drip. If they do please fix.
4. We need to worry less about filling swimming pools. Let mother nature help. (When we had a pool we would run a spout off of the gutter right to the pool so the rain filled our pool.)
5. We need to stop littering on an individual basis. Littering kills animals, and pollutes our water.
6. We need to realize every time we shower or clean, the products we rinse down the drain go into our water system. Use products that our safe and natural.
7. We have more people then ever, and we are consuming more than ever which means we visit the rest room more than ever. Where do you think that goes? It is in our water system. Eat more natural (which will also cut down on garbage which seems to end up in our oceans).
8. Stop major chemical companies from dumping into our streams and oceans. Help devise better waste reduction and waste systems to avoid contamination.
9. Car pool, walk, ride a bike, sail, all of these will cut down on pollution which will help keep our air and water cleaner
10. Ask all countries and states for better emission policies. In Florida there are so many cars and none of them have to be inspected for safety or emissions. You gag sitting in traffic, imagine what that does to the trees and animals as well as the water. Some states have emission laws, we need them everywhere.
11. Get motor boats out of the water! Yes, I know, it is your day off and you want to go sit on your yacht, but at what cost? Never mind the cost of the boat itself, but what about what you put in our water? Use a canoe or a kayak. Cruise ships are another problem. Snow melting in Alaska and above? Gee, how many cruises go north now? No wonder the ice is melting and the natural system is changing, we have polluted it. Do not get me wrong, I am not against having fun or enjoying life but we must be responsible or we will have no water and then no life. Maybe the cruise companies could offer less cruises, like four a year instead of every week. But on the rivers, streams, lakes and inter-coastals we need to ban all motor boats. Just look at the slime on the surface if you think I am wrong.
12. Farmers need to be more responsible. We can handle smaller fruit or not so pretty in color. All the chemicals that are used are no good for us. The chemicals kill insects (some of which we need like bees!) and then the chemicals go and kill us slowly. I love farmers. I have lived in Amish country, sometimes you lose a crop if you do not use chemicals, but most the time, if you take care you don’t. There is plenty on a farm for all.
13. Buyer be aware. Look at what your buying – is it natural and good or is it chemicals? How much packaging does it have? Do I need it?
14. Buy reusable cloth bags for groceries. The plastic bags end up in the ocean and kill animals which also pollutes the water system. The plastic bags are made from crude oil and/or petroleum. It is not safe. Please bring your own bags.
15. This is the hardest one but we need to practice birth control. We have more and more people which means more and more houses and schools. It also means more food, more water, more pollution, more contamination. I was never in favor of this idea, but if we keep taking and taking and not giving there will be nothing left for anyone.
