Bangalore in Karnataka, India was once a city of lakes. Around 1,792 lakes existed there 500 years ago built by the city’s founder. In the 1960s, about 280 lakes were left. An estimated 70 to 80 lakes remain today. Lakes were lost from development and surrounding commercial or household encroachment. This is a great loss […]
Water Justice Movement Gearing up for the 5th World Water Forum
February 12, 2009 By 1 Comment
The water justice movement is gearing up for the 5th World Water Forum to be held during World Water Week from March 16th – 22nd in Istanbul, Turkey. They will host a Counter Forum during the event to educate people about the water justice movement, the problems with privatization of water supplies, and the importance […]
Greenwashing and Water Advertisements
February 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Have you ever seen an advertisement for a product claiming to be environmentally sustainable? Has an advertisement like the one below (by Nestle) ever convinced you that a product is good for the environment? Above Photo: EnviroMedia Greenwashing Index As I heard today on Think Out Loud, an advertising organization called EnviroMedia Social Marketing and […]
13-Gallon Challenge – Day Six
January 7, 2009 By 2 Comments
Today is the sixth day of my 13-Gallon Challenge – a pledge to live on an allocation of water declared to be a human right for one week. You may wonder, what is a human right to water? Well, the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR) defined a human right to water as: […]
Water Resolutions for the New Year
January 1, 2009 By 2 Comments
Recently someone asked me “Do you track your water use?” I thought thoroughly about my reply to that question. In many ways I conserve water: only flushing the toilet when necessary, turning off the faucet during hand washing and teeth brushing, taking short showers, limiting outdoor watering, and only washing full loads of clothes and […]
Blue Planet Run: The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World – A Book Review
December 29, 2008 By Leave a Comment
As readers of Water for the Ages may have noticed, I’ve been on an extended holiday break (to visit family in East Tennessee). Arriving back to the Pacific Northwest, my mailbox was full with letters, bills, Christmas Cards, and other postal paraphernalia. Yet, to my surprise, there was one mysteriously large and somewhat heavy package […]
Water Gifts for a Cause
November 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
On Halloween, I had a lot of trick-or-treaters visit my home, but one small group of teenage girls was especially memorable. Sure, their Anime costumes were fabulous, but mostly what stood out was their cause. These teens weren’t trick-or-treating for candy, but for donations to support the United Nations Children’s Fund. This group of young […]
UNESCO Launches Global Aquifer Map
October 26, 2008 By 1 Comment
A worldwide map of groundwater resources crossing national boundaries has just been published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This map details 273 shared aquifers – sources of ground water – across the globe. It is the culmination of eight years of research and development of an extensive ground water database […]
Water and the Next U.S. President
September 27, 2008 By 3 Comments
The economy, health care, Iraq, government spending, nuclear proliferation… What else should the incoming president of the United States focus on? Water – as noted recently in WIRED magazine by leading water researcher, Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, a think-tank in California that works to “advance environmental protection, economic development, and social equity.” […]
Widespread Drought: The Middle East in 2008
July 30, 2008 By Leave a Comment
The following words come to mind as I think of the Middle East – oil, Iraq, war, Palestine, Israel, and desert. Many of the words on my list are mere impressions of media-induced messages, but one word on my list is somewhat realistic – desert. The Middle East is an arid region known the world-over […]
Water and the G8: Hokkaido Toyako Summit
July 8, 2008 By Leave a Comment
As most have heard by now, the 34th annual G8 Summit is underway in Japan from July 7th to July 9th in Toyako, Hokkaido. Leaders from eight of the world’s industrialized nations, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States (in addition to the president of the European Union and representatives from […]
Barcelona Imports Water from France
May 17, 2008 By 1 Comment
This ship, docked in Barcelona, Catalonia, is carrying 5.3 million gallons of water in 20 storage tanks. This water will serve up to 180,000 people for one day in the capital city. Photo courtesy AP/Manu Fernandez Spain is enduring a drought. Reservoirs in Barcelona are at 20 percent capacity, and rainfall has been minimal over the […]
K2K – In Search of Water
April 19, 2008 By 4 Comments
One man’s dream will soon raise the world’s awareness about the complexity of water challenges occurring in India. Beginning Saturday April 26th in Bangalore, CS Sharada Prasad will travel 19,000 km (11,807 m) on motorbike to document the meaning and encompassing challenges of water to people in India. Crossing 15 major rivers, 28 states, and […]
Quick Story on Water in Africa
March 29, 2008 By 1 Comment
