Florida, and the rest of the nation for that matter, faced its worst summer drought since the Dust Bowl years of the Great Depression. As a result, Lake Okeechobee, the "Liquid Heart" of South Florida, is approximately 5ft below its historical average for this time of year. To exacerbate the challenge, we just entered Dry Season (November to April).
But I am not here to preach 'doom and gloom'! I only want to call this to your attention. The question that you must ask yourself, however, is: "What can I do to make a difference?"
The answer to that question can take on many forms. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Do a Water Use Audit.
2. Use water-efficient landscaping and irrigation with native plants.
3. Use high-efficiency clothes washers & dishwashers.
4. Use ultra-low flush (ULF) toilets.
5. Use low-flow faucets (bathroom and kitchen sinks and shower heads).
There are rebate programs available for doing the aforementioned tasks. In fact, there are FREE low-flow shower head exchanges by various government entities. "Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) will exchange your actual shower head for a more streamlined, cost-effective "High Efficiency" shower head as well as provide you with a conservation kit for your home."
Reducing your water usage can also decrease your hot water usage, thus lowering your electric bill. But remember, it’s not just about saving money; it’s about saving resources (people, time, money, etc).
Showing posts with label Water Efficiency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Water Efficiency. Show all posts
Monday, December 24, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
FIU Green Forum on Water Issues
On Friday, August 10th Russ and I attended a forum called FIU Green Forum on Water Issues. It was a small but well attended event. It was essentially a networking breakfast with a panel discussion featuring speakers from the government, the private sector and academia.
The panel of experts discussed projects and concerns related to the management of water resources, water quality and water quantity in South Florida. Also discussed was active and planned projects dealing with concerns about water that have a direct impact on the quality of life in South Florida.
It was a very enlightening forum with lots of information about ongoing projects. Questions were held for the end and the exchange was pleasant yet interesting. At any rate, it became evident that the issues facing our county and even the state is much bigger than most folks realize. And this issue underscores a few developing concepts:
1) Energy is not the only "major potential" problem we're faced with.
2) The "major potential" problems we face arise due to our consumptive habits that affects the environment.
3) Conservation is a bad word.
4) We need need to educate the public, remain informed & connected, and build more awareness.
5) We underpay for the resources we consume.
All of these concepts seem to apply to any environmentally related issue we face today.
Anyhow, the many projects that are currently being worked on are of great importance to solving this problem. And that was the recurring theme throughout each presentation. Nevertheless, one presenter talked about things a bit differently that I thought was the missing ingredient until his presentation.
He stated that it doesn't take a genius to understand these issues.
1) We have 1000 people moving into Florda everyday.
2) We are borrowing water now for high levels of consumption that is creating long-term deficit issues.
3) We need to educate the public, remain informed & connected, and promote interaction.
Essentially, we are digging ourselves into a hole that would be difficult if not impossible to get out of unless we start taking action now. Every issue seems to have some ominous development that threatens our survivability in the future. Yet we are not fully aware of these issues, nor are we well educated on them and even worse not doing much to address them. Education doesn't exist in a vacuum and so a lack of knowledge on the issues, the disconnectedness I alluded to here and in previous posts (see post on You can't handle the truth) will continue to haunt us.
So then, perhaps my dad's little quip suffices: "If good can't get better, then worse will have to continue".
Knowledge is power: Wield it.
The panel of experts discussed projects and concerns related to the management of water resources, water quality and water quantity in South Florida. Also discussed was active and planned projects dealing with concerns about water that have a direct impact on the quality of life in South Florida.
It was a very enlightening forum with lots of information about ongoing projects. Questions were held for the end and the exchange was pleasant yet interesting. At any rate, it became evident that the issues facing our county and even the state is much bigger than most folks realize. And this issue underscores a few developing concepts:
1) Energy is not the only "major potential" problem we're faced with.
2) The "major potential" problems we face arise due to our consumptive habits that affects the environment.
3) Conservation is a bad word.
4) We need need to educate the public, remain informed & connected, and build more awareness.
5) We underpay for the resources we consume.
All of these concepts seem to apply to any environmentally related issue we face today.
Anyhow, the many projects that are currently being worked on are of great importance to solving this problem. And that was the recurring theme throughout each presentation. Nevertheless, one presenter talked about things a bit differently that I thought was the missing ingredient until his presentation.
He stated that it doesn't take a genius to understand these issues.
1) We have 1000 people moving into Florda everyday.
2) We are borrowing water now for high levels of consumption that is creating long-term deficit issues.
3) We need to educate the public, remain informed & connected, and promote interaction.
Essentially, we are digging ourselves into a hole that would be difficult if not impossible to get out of unless we start taking action now. Every issue seems to have some ominous development that threatens our survivability in the future. Yet we are not fully aware of these issues, nor are we well educated on them and even worse not doing much to address them. Education doesn't exist in a vacuum and so a lack of knowledge on the issues, the disconnectedness I alluded to here and in previous posts (see post on You can't handle the truth) will continue to haunt us.
So then, perhaps my dad's little quip suffices: "If good can't get better, then worse will have to continue".
Knowledge is power: Wield it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
