3 of 5

Write now Article Tools

You may have to fight for your right to party, but you shouldn't have to fight for your right to drink....water, that is. We are made of it. Our planet is made of it. We can only live three days without it. And, in less than 15 years, two thirds of the world will be living in conditions of water shortage and/or contamination. compared to today's 40%.

So, one third of the world will have enough water in less than two decades. Not to mention the fact that we will see the decimation of a continent
in our lifetime due to spreading desert. I really hope we're not ok
with that, even if we are the lucky 33% who have enough water to stay alive. The way we treat water, though, it's like we don't even know that people are literally dying of thirst. You know it's bad when the poor in your city start asking for water instead of spare change...

Car washes, I think, are the most offensive waste of water. Not only do they waste tons of water to clean something else harmful to the environment, but they dump toxic chemicals and soaps into the water supply. Watering lawns and non-native plants uses water desperately needed by people, and it doesn't make sense. We have leveled forests and cleared out native greenery to make room for our water-guzzling lawns and perennials that require exorbitant amounts of water, instead of allowing plant life that has adapted to the natural amount of water to flourish. Bottled water may be a trendy thing to do, but it is also rather senseless - people waste billions of dollars, and half of it comes from the tap anyway.

Clearly, the problem is not a lack of information: there are entire sites dedicated to the issue of water. There are books written that include system-oriented ways of thinking that detail ways to not only detoxify effluents, but to make outflow even cleaner than inflow. It is possible to actually make the world a better place. Here are few two-second tweaks you can make in your life today:

1) Put a rock (not a brick, they crumble!) in your toilet tank (that is, if you don't already have dual-flush toilets installed!)

2) Do not buy bottled water. Instead, buy a filtering system for your tap water. It's actually better for you (and the earth anyway!)

3) Take shorter and less showers. (And turn off the shower when shaving/brushing teeth).

4) Think about what you are pouring down the drain. There are safer ways to dispose of things - and there are also ways to green clean. In planetary terms, we are all "downstream."

5) Encourage roommates and friends to do the same. I was amazed at how receptive a friend of mine was to the issue of water - all she needed was to be told what was going on and something she could to contribute to change.

6) Think "conservation" instead of "consumption." Water is a shared resource and a right, not a luxury. Spend water like you'd spend money in a recession (saving the one saves the other!).

7) Pray. The urgent concerns surrounding the world's water supply and its contamination affect us all, but they first affect the poor. There is no doubt that God cares for the poor, and those seeking to be Christ-like should care, too! All social justice and poverty issues have environmental roots; the issue of water is not just an ecological crisis, it is a social problem, too. Ask our Father for a heart for water!

Learn more about this author, Megan Risley.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Water shortage: Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink?
We want to hear your view. Write now!