World Water Day

by Beth Anderson, Outreach Associate

This past Sunday was World Water Day--a day to consider how our lives and our planet are intricately tied to our shared water usage. As I read Chamberlain's Troubled Waters, I think about what I can do within my own part of the puzzle.

Drip, drip, drip...drip, drip. That was the sound of water slowly trickling out of my bathtub faucet. It had been leaking for a while now, but I was busy and assumed it would be more complicated to fix than I had time for. So I let the water drip. For too long.


Last Saturday, after reading another chapter about the sacredness and relative scarcity of water, I finally decided to fix it. I gathered up some tools, blocked out a little time, and went in to check it out. What did I find? I found out that the drip, drip, drip was due to a simple loose screw on the head of the faucet. I didn't need much mechanical know-how to tighten the screw, re-adjust the handle, and stop wasting precious water.

What can you do to celebrate World Water Day? here are a few ideas: check for drips, install a water-saving toilet and/or shower head, turn off the faucet while you're brushing your teeth, or plant native trees and shrubs that don't require extra watering in the summer.

In a related note, an important international action is taking place this Saturday evening: Earth Hour. At 8:30pm local time, turn off your lights to reduce your carbon footprint and to express your support for sustainable energy use!