THIS WEEK'S WATER

Water Money…

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:37:11 -0500

The Stream, February 15: Budget CutsTUESDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2011 10:19

Greenwire gives details on the highs and lows of President Barack Obama’s EPA budget proposal. Under the plan, EPA would take a 12.6 percent funding cut, or $1 billion less, than fiscal year 2011, including a slash in money for local and state water projects. Deep cuts are also planned for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, but there will be more focus on enforcement and new air pollution rules. NPR breaks down the overall FY2012 budget proposal, from Homeland Security to space exploration.

The bean counters in Greece have to make hard choices, too. Faced with a debt crisis, the European country might consider selling stakes in railways, attractive water utilities, as well as real estate, to raise 50 million euros over the next five years.

Call it simple economics, but if water demand outstrips water supply over a period of time, then you are in for a water crisis. So goes the story in South Africa, where experts are warning that the country might face critical water shortages as early as 2020.

Ecuador vs. Chevron: the landmark Amazon pollution case that started 17 years ago is still dragging on, even though an Ecuador court ruled Monday that the U.S. oil company should pay more than $8 billion in damages. Chevron is determined to appeal, and the case is far from being over, a Reuters analysis says.

Australia plans to drain more than 76 billion gallons over nine days from the Wivenhoe Dam in southeastern Queensland to prevent Brisbane from being flooded again when more cyclones hit the area in the next few months.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

poetry can save the world… 1

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:54:25 -0500

NOW

by Robert King

I shuffle on snowshoes through the pines
in last night’s snow—so where I am

was not here yesterday—and arrive
at a rocky creek, ice tightened
over the chatter of secret water.

Earlier I knew every question,
my name was “He-Who-Answers-Himself.”

Now I am only whatever listens,
whatever sees what’s hidden below
and everything hidden above.

Now I am breaking, coming together.
I am so alive I have forgotten my life.

{published in Many Mountains Moving: a literary journal of diverse contemporary voices, Vol VIII, 2007-2008, http://mmminc.org | post by Jeffrey Ethan Lee, senior poetry ed.}

Sometimes, just hearing the waterfall while I sit, or sit...

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 08:26:39 -0500

Sometimes, just hearing the waterfall while I sit, or sit writing, is so much in the way of energy that whatever had been carried to that moment is no longer. And suddenly I am remembering a fragment, those words of Anais Nin about writing: “If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don’t write…”

Ten Great US Cities Running Out of Water…

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 21:46:37 -0500

Ten Great US Cities Running Out of Water…

Blog Action Day: Water!

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 08:17:59 -0400

Blog Action Day: Water!:

On October 15th bloggers who care about water gave themselves over to the topic, and a resource was created that is rare and inspiring. Check it out. Some are spiritual, some scientific, some action-oriented, some lose the line between the divisions. (The Tao of Water is one favorite.)

"Don’t spit in the well, you are drinking from it now."

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 08:18:56 -0400

““Don’t spit in the well, you are drinking from it now.””

- Various zen folk

"Don’t spit in the well, you might drink from it later."

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 07:44:15 -0400

““Don’t spit in the well, you might drink from it later.””

- Yiddish proverb

Kannon by the stream hearing the cry of water Knows but asks...

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 10:24:02 -0400

Kannon by the stream

hearing the cry of water

Knows but asks

is this is the day?

My old teacher the moose

he bends trees with wind now

Beloved children,

crazy campers in the bag of skin:

With mind body heart release

into one consummate

Vow

This, the turning day.

If it is not hereIt is not anywhereStill, the mind turned...

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 21:25:42 -0400

If it is not here
It is not anywhere
Still, the mind turned from

days of wind and rain

Autumn hides
beneath the heaps

of golden leaves

“TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly...

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 22:05:45 -0400

“TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”
— Howard Zinn

The small is large The large is small I offer tapwater at my...

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:09:02 -0400

The small is large

The large is small

I offer tapwater at my window

Remembering that I am offered

the ineffable world

Remembering that this day

what I offer matters

in ways

perhaps immeasurable

and the membrane

between inside

and out

giving and receiving

is a line one may never

quite

find

Tapwater Wisdom

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 08:44:00 -0400

Use less water, or the goldfish gets it

By Duncan Geere |16 September 2010

Among the droplets of water culture news, this sparkle. Check the Wired url at:http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-09/16/sink-fish-concept

Enjoy!

Before you get worried about washing your hands in dirty fish-water, or the fish being poisoned by soap, you can be reassured that the tapwater is not actually connected to the water in the bowl. The bowl actually drains into a hidden reservoir when the faucet is on. It’ll also never drain completely empty, though you can bet that reducing the water level will stress the poor little guy.designer named Yan Lu has created a concept sink which threatens to suffocate a goldfish if you use too much water when you’re washing your hands. The piece, which bears the excellent title of “Poor Little Fishbowl Sink”, gradually empties as the water pours out of the tap, then slowly refills again over time once the faucet is switched off.

Poor Little Fishbowl Sink has been created to highlight the issue of water conservation, and remind its users that their actions can affect the environment around them. In some parts of the world, severe water stress has caused local extinction events, and in some places even destroyed larges bodies of water entirely.

Lu says on his website: “As consumption is incalculable, saving is often neglected through daily consumption. Rather than forcing people to consume less, thus depressing the using experience, Poor Little Fish basin offers an emotional way to persuade consumers to think about saving water, by making consumption tangible.

PHOTO CREDIT:Yan Lu|ONLINE EDITOR:Olivia Solon

19 Solutions to the Global Freshwater Crisis

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:16:41 -0400

from an article in Circle of Blue, May 24, 2010; steps large, immediate, obvious, ours…

…Counting down the 19 best solutions to the global freshwater crisis captured by a GlobeScan and SustainAbility poll of more than 1200 leading international experts in 80 countries. Here’s the final list.

Conducted by GlobeScan, an international public and stakeholder opinion research firm, and SustainAbility, a think tank and business strategy consultancy, the poll asked, “What are the technologies or changes in behavior which show the most promise for addressing water shortages over the next 10 years?” THE experts’ responses generated 19 consensus solutions.Virtually every industry in the world anticipates sweeping systemic transformation over the next decade in their strategic planning, production practices, and business models, according to the Sustainability Survey Poll on Water. The global opinion poll, which released a survey of more than 1,200 sustainability experts in March, concludes that water shortages will shift public perception of the value of water, prompting governments and companies to view clean water not as a commodity to exploit but as a precious resource.

Jeff Erikson, senior vice president at SustainAbility, told Circle of Blue that the decisions executives make to respond to freshwater scarcity will penetrate almost every aspect of their business operations. The varied solutions reveaedl the complexity of coping with water scarcity. Population growth, urban development, farm production and climate change are increasing competition for fresh water and producing shortages. Here’s a look at the first 10 areas where experts feel needed solutions will come.

1*Educate to change consumption and lifestylesIn the end, changing the face of this crisis involves education to motivate new behaviors. Coping with the coming era of water scarcity will require major overhaul of all forms of consumption, from individual use to the supply chains of major corporations, like GE. Some regions led by India, Australia and the Southwest U.S., are already facing the freshwater crisis. The most critical task is making sure the problem is much better understood worldwide.

2*Invent new water conservation technologiesIn areas where aquifers are drying up and rainwater is increasingly unpredictable, innovation is needed. But as we attempt to cope with freshwater scarcity and develop conservation technologies, energy consumption is an important consideration.

3*Recycle wastewaterIn March, World Water Day panelists urged a new mindset for wastewater treatment. Some countries, like Singapore, are trying to recycle to cut water imports and become more self-sufficient. The rich East Asian republic is a leader in developing advanced technology that cleanses wastewater for other uses, including drinking.

4*Improve irrigation and agricultural practicesSome 70 percent of the world’s freshwater is used for agriculture. Improving irrigation can help close supply and demand gaps. In certain cases profligate irrigation practices meant for an earlier era has weakened the ability of farmers to provide food and fiber to a growing world. Examples include the Murray-Darling basin in Australia, Central Asia’s Aral Sea, and the American Southwest. Although new technology has become an appealing solution, global water experts like Peter Gleick note that in some cases, such as the agricultural systems in California, success stories can happen by improving what’s already in place.

5*Appropriately price waterWater pricing and rights go hand in hand, with consumers questioning the benefit of higher prices. According to experts from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an international economic forum of 31 of the world’s richest countries, raising prices will help lower waste and pollution. But Circle of Blue’s May investigation into water pricing systems in major U.S. cities, show current utility pricing systems are obsolete, send the wrong signals, and need reform.

6*Develop energy efficient desalination plantsTo date, desalination has been an energy-intensive solution to water scarcity. Typically the Middle East has capitalized on its large energy reserves to build desalination plants. But Saudi Arabia could be fostering a new kind of desalination with its recent announcement to use solar-powered plants.
Britain has taken a different approach with small-scale facilities for agriculture. But these innovations bring to light another needed resource—the capital for technological experimentation.

7*Improve water catchment and harvestingWater catchment systems are essential for areas with no other reliable water sources.Pakistan and India—two countries that contend with some of the worst effects of climate change—are overhauling rainwater harvesting systems. These efforts provide independent control of water resources.

8*Look to community-based governance and partnershipsCommunity organizations elevate the experiences of those whose voices merit more influence. In April, for instance, indigenous groups met at the alternative climate change conference in Bolivia, a gathering meant to foster international partnerships among underrepresented groups. Ensuring more effective governance at the grassroots-level gives communities stature, and can lead to effective policy changes on a national scale.

9*Develop and enact better policies and regulationsAs water scarcity complicates food security and pollution, governments need to redefine their role. The U.S. government is considering expanding the Clean Water Act to ensure more protections. In Russia, meanwhile, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has approved waste discharges in Lake Baikal, one of the world’s largest bodies of freshwater. Regardless of what path elected leaders take–the Circle of Blue/GlobeScan WaterViews survey indicates they are considering multiple approaches–the survey also found that most people say it is up to the government to ensure communities have access to clean water.

10*Holistically manage ecosystemsSimply put, holistic management applies to a practical, common-sense approach to overseeing natural resources that takes into account economic, cultural, and ecological goals. In essence, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and each facet is related to and influences the others. Good examples of holistic management are communities that operate sewage treatment plants while pursuing partnerships with clean energy producers to use wastewater to fertilize algae and other biofuel crops. The crops, in turn, soak up nutrients and purify wastewater, significantly reducing pumping and treatment costs.

11*Improve distribution infrastructurePoor infrastructure is devastating to health and the economy. It wastes resources, adds costs, diminishes the quality of life, and allows preventable water-borne diseases to spread among vulnerable populations, especially children. The problem is not confined to the developing world. Pipes burst on a regular basis in the U.S., prompting boil alerts. Sewage treatment systems regularly overflow and malfunction, causing beach closures.

12*Shrink corporate water footprintsIndustrial water use accounts for approximately 22 percent of global consumption. The corporate footprint includes water that is directly and indirectly consumed when goods are produced.  As sustainable manufacturing becomes more important, given the increasing severity of water scarcity, Peter Gleick and other experts question the costs of one industry sector in particular: bottled water.

13*Build international frameworks and institutional cooperationBinding international accords for natural resource issues are hard to achieve. The 2009United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is evidence of that point. And that’s not just because the freshwater crisis, arguably the most visible and dire of the climate change risks, was ignored. Regional agreements regarding transboundary or shared water bodies such as the Great Lakes Compact in the U.S., and Nile River basin agreement in Africa are just as difficult to ratify. But policymakers and advocates need to keep trying. Humanitarian-oriented treaties, such as the U.N.’s drinking water Millennium Development Goals, indicate that comprehensive global strategies are possible.

14*Address pollutionMeasuring and monitoring water quality is essential to human health and biodiversity. This monumental issue rears its head in many forms and can be addressed in just as many ways, whether it’s David de Rothschild’s eco-adventure in a plastic ship or Joe Berlinger’s documentary on oil contaminating the Ecuadorian Amazon. While securing the quality of drinking water and at the local level, it’s essential to build international bridges to solutions.

15*Public common resources / equitable accessOne of the key United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is ensuring access to drinking water. While the steps to achieve this goal are debated, the thesis that water is a basic right comes into play. As countries such as Chile attempt to reform water rights, U.S. politicians are considering how access rights translate into federal protection of Lake Michigan, one of the world’s largest reserves of freshwater.

16*R&D / InnovationAccess to water in a water-scarce world will become a much higher priority in business decisions. Communities are likely to pursue public-private partnerships that draw on the innovative capacities of companies. One example— cities that operate sewage treatment plants are likely to pursue partnerships with clean energy producers to fertilize algae and other biofuel crops with wastewater.

17*Water projects in developing countries / transfer of technologyClimate change and water scarcity are producing the most dramatic consequences in developing regions, such as northwest India and Sub-Saharan Africa. One proposed solution is to transfer water conservation technologies to these dry areas. Doing so is tricky because economies are weak and there are gaps in skills that often compel government and business authorities to impose these changes on local citizens.

18*Climate change mitigationClimate change and water scarcity go hand-in-hand to cause some of the biggest contemporary challenges to the human race. These issues have a reciprocal relationship, identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in which, “water management policies and measures can have an influence on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.” As renewable energy options are pursued, the water consumption of these mitigation tactics must be considered in producing alternatives ranging from bio-energy crops to hydropower and solar power plants.

19*Population growth controlBecause of the accelerating growth in global population, parts of the world could see a supply-demand gap of up to 65 percent in water resources by 2030. Currently, more than one billion people don’t have access to clean water. And with 70 percent of the world’s freshwater used for agriculture, water’s critical role in food production must be considered as climate and resource conditions change.

For my Teacher (no mistake here) but just remember...

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:11:00 -0400

For my Teacher

(no mistake here) but

just remember sweetheart

you miss the moment

you miss the boat

don’t miss the boat

okay?

Photo

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:01:00 -0400

Daystart May this be a day of blessing and being...

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:47:06 -0400

Daystart

May this be a day of blessing and being blessed…

honoring and being honored…

loving and being loved…

Sangha treasure…

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:42:00 -0400

Sangha treasure…

Photo

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 10:13:23 -0400

Lady’s Water Bowl:! 75% of Americans are chronically...

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:53:39 -0400

Lady’s Water Bowl:

! 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half of the world population)

! In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.&

! Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.

! Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

! A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

! Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

! Woof.

First Water

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:04:22 -0400

First Water