Neon Leon: Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) ---Doris...

Neon Leon: Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) ---Doris...: On New Year’s Eve, I thought of my mother who loved to sing that old 1950’s ditty about “the future’s not ours to see.”   Now, some 60 year...

Neon Leon: Corporate Wet Dreams

Neon Leon: Corporate Wet Dreams: I have a long list of things I hate. I won’t list them all because I hate long lists. Warm beer, crappy Chinese imports, head banging music...

Neon Leon: When I look into the future, it's so bright it hur...

Neon Leon: When I look into the future, it's so bright it hur...: Pain. Sweat. Boredom. That’s what I remember most about working in the Northwest a lifetime ago. In the 60’s I pulled lumber, veneer and ra...

Neon Leon: On Seeking Scrupulous Sources About Suspicious Sup...

Neon Leon: On Seeking Scrupulous Sources About Suspicious Sup...: "The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.&...

Neon Leon: A Very Thirsty Planet

Neon Leon: A Very Thirsty Planet: "No water, no life.  No blue, no green."-- Sylvia Earle Of course, Dr. Earle (a prodigious author about all things wet) is not...

On Flowing Like a River

"In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so with present time." --Leonardo da Vinci

Water is also a very personal experience, prompting a response by our capacity to see, hear, taste, touch and smell. Water becomes not only an integral part of our past, but also a means to focus on the present.  For me, this dual focus is akin to how the whiff of a spring flower can elicit the memory of an old lover's perfume. The sudden pain from an old piece of shrapnel can evoke the memory of a battle fought long ago as well as an awareness of how lucky you are to be alive right now.

My favorite memory of water still centers around the numbingly cold and delicious artesian water which sprang from a tall hill, arriving at our big farm house, assisted only by gravity. Some folks have always treasured memories of the sense of peace they found while fishing on a big lake or listening to a softly babbling brook. My boyhood buddies still laugh every time the story is told about running stark naked straight through a bunch of Girl Scouts lazing by the river, and then escaped by an en masse cannon-ball dive into our favorite swimming hole.  

Of course, these experiences depend on ready access to water. However, as my April 30th blog ("A Very Thirsty Planet") notes, for about 750 million people, there memories are defined by an acute lack of water; too often, they live desperate lives in the face of drought. 

I have also reported on our collective stupidity in the use of bottled water as well as the massive, unsustainable use of water to provide our insatiable demand for "fancy" food (it takes a gallon of water to grow one almond). But there is some good news also. Consider the growing attention the entire world has began paying about the subject of water shortages. March 22, 2017 was the 24 year anniversary of "World Day for Water".  The day was devoted as a kick off click here to focus on new plans for water resources within all of the 193 members of the United Nations. This year over two dozen celebrities (including Ziggy Marley, Sting, Pitbull, Pink, Bruno Mars, and Shania Twain) showed up to entertain with the support of Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Google. It was described as "the largest US clean drinking water social media campaign in history."  Hundreds of experts of all things water will once again reveal new plans to address water shortages while numerous international NGOs will seek millions of dollars in funding. Water is a subject no longer ignored. The USA has been forced to recognize the impact of  four years of drought in the West and Great Plains regions. The rain has returned and conditions have eased for now, but legislation of broad legal and ethical standards have been passed in several states as a renewed effort to conserve and create new sources of water. Further good news: There is a growing, world wide consensus that the time has come for mankind to tackle climate change because our home is beginning to cook a bit more every day.

Here are a few of the new technologies available to confront our thirst:  Consider the Water is Life Foundation.  This is a largely volunteer group who have supported the creation of  a "Drinkable Book" that has pages you can tear out and use to turn raw sewage into drinking water. They also created what is known as "The Straw" which is a widely used, filtered straw warn around the necks of children (they are more vulnerable to sickness).  Stick it in virtually any source of water and suck it in; any impurities are instantly removed.  It lasts for a year at the rate of 12 cups of water a day. 
These "water warriors" have also perfected two simple filtration methods to clean dirty water; both cost about $40 and are available on ebay and Amazon.  One type, the Ceramic Filter, uses two buckets and a three stage filtration system: (1) submicron filtration (using a ceramic cup with activated carbon) (2) sterilization (water passes through colloidal silver) and (3) granular activated carbon (absorbs chlorine, foul taste and odors, and organic chemicals).  It is good for an amazing 5,000 gallons of water and lasts about 5 years. A second type, the Nano Bucket Filter, is a one bucket system which employs a hollow fiber membrane to trap pathogens. With proper flushing, it can last 10 years.

My next blog will discuss more elaborate water systems (hydrology, aquaculture, solar and desalination) but for now, let us take a moment and  Check this link to see how much water you use daily.  I am a scruffy old bachelor and it took me 5 minutes to discover that I use a lot--97 gallons a day. How about you?  Do you want to cut your water usage dramatically and save money?  Here are 25 cheap and simple ways to do it.   My final report on water will be available March 28th.   I will close with a lovely quote by Loren Eiseley (Noted anthropologst, science writer, ecologist and poet):  "If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."