Friday, July 8, 2016

Water on High

Liquid Magic!
I'll open by citing the poignant lyrics of "High Water" by the band Rush.  Do yourself a favor and listen to their song on Youtube for the full impact of the prose ensconced in enchanting, rocking melody!


High Water 

When the waters rose in the darkness
In the wake of the endless flood
It flowed into our memory
It flowed into our blood

When something broke the surface
Just to see the starry dome
We still feel that relation
When the water takes us home
In the flying spray of the ocean
The water takes you home

Springing from the weight of the mountains
Like the heart of the earth would burst
Flowing out from marble fountains
In the dreams of a desert thirst

Something swam through the jungles
Where the mighty rivers roam
Something breaks the silence
When the water takes you home
I hear the wordless voices
When the water takes me home

Waves that crash on the shoreline
Torrents of tropical rain streaming down
Beyond our memory
Streaming down inside our veins

When something left the ocean
To crawl high above the foam
We still feel that elation
When the water takes us home
In a driving rain of redemption
The water takes me home...

Water is indeed intimately connected with life and our living planet boasts water in apparent abundance. In fact, oceans, lakes and rivers cover our planet so much so that we have nicknamed Earth the Blue Planet.  Water stirs gaseous in the planet's atmosphere, flows gently below its surface, and saturates the very core of our and ever plant, animal and fungus' cells.

With so much water on hand, why has water become such a near future concern?  Because the clean water associated with a healthy environment has become harder and harder to come by.  Seven billion people seeking water for drinking, flushing, washing, agriculture and production has put a strain on the natural water supply.  Add to that many humans use water to float away waste all too often without any treatment.

Perhaps in the past, the waste of a tens of thousands of people globally could be naturally recycled.  However with a human population a hundred thousand times more "successful" now produces waste in immense quantities.  Subsequently, available water supply has gradually become tainted with fertilizer, pesticides, hormones, fecal matter, plastics, and a whole host of undesirable chemicals.

Developed countries have successfully leveraged technology to ensure their citizens have adequate access to water and septic systems.  Nevertheless, proactive water management needs to be at the top of any long term planetary vision to benefit humans and environment alike.  Without a sustainable plan ecosystems will be stressed by water quality, species will go extinct (especially aquatic species), and human civilization itself will suffer.

Every drop counts!
In the long run our individual behavior can make a difference. Ensuring communities have access to quality water goes without saying.  Eliminating a variety of wasteful practices particularly, livestock and dairy farming, and reducing water intensive industrial processing is a start. Longterm, as always, a gradual reduction in human population will be key.

Ultimately, positive water management will be part of a holistic body of solutions integrated into the both human infrastructure and the global landscape.  You can be part of a positive water culture today by filling a reusable water bottle to carry with you today.  Doing so has the benefit of decreasing the immense disposable bottle waste industry to be sure.  More importantly it can serve as a talisman to remind each of us to encourage everyone, every business, and every government organization to plan wisely and not squander a single drop of Earth's most precious, life-giving liquid!


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