Read 'N' Seed 2

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Introduction
My book again is called "Aqua Shock, The Water Crisis in America."

1. I covered the Introduction, Chapter 1 and 2-pages 1-55.

2. The main topics I read about included how our water is supplied on this earth by mother nature, how humans obtain and distribute water, the amount of water we use that exceeds the amount provided, and due to lack of water future conflicts of present day and in the future to come.

3. I learned enough to quit denying that there really is a water crisis. The average human uses 80-100 gallons of water a day and the U.S. alone uses 408 BILLION gallons of water per day. That's a lot and I'll explain why in question 4. The book opens in a very direct way that the world is drying up and that many are in denial about it. Not all are in denial, because there are already states fighting over what is left. First term I learned was, "aquifer." This is our supply of water under our ground surface. One of the book's experts, David E Williams mentioned that we are using aquifers as a water checking account when we should be using at a savings. Next term, I learned is "water cycle" aka "hydrologic cycle." This term tells us that water doesn't escape into space, so our water supply is moved by nature from the atmosphere, down into the ground, then to water in the surface, then back up to the atmosphere.

4. The problems are laid out pretty clearly which affects every thing that relies on water which affects you and I.

Problem #1 Many are in denial that the earth is drying up. I was guilty of this before reading this book. It's easy to be in denial when we have running water, and have Lake Superior right outside out window.

Problem #2 Humans are not being water sustainble with the amount that is given to us at a time. Many parts of the country borrow water from other places through irrigation systems. That's not a problem until the place we borrow it from needs the water. Also, humans are using too much at a time. Here are some facts

• highest use is 195billion gallons for energy production and for thermoelectric power plants.
• 2nd Highest use is irrigating crops, watering livestock, and other agriculture by 142 billion gallons
• Bathing 50-70 gallons of water for a bathtub
• 5 gallons of water to make 1 gallon of gasoline
• We need 2-4 liters of water per day and it’s 2,000 to 5,000 liters it takes to produce the same person’s daily food
Keep in mind the water we use to wash the dishes, wash the car, water the plants, give to the dog, washing your hands, consume through pop, juices, alcohol, and so on.

Think of our water supply as a bank account. You're getting paid on Friday (water cycle replenishing us) and its monday. We are going to the mall on a daily basis/utilizing too much water, before our paycheck/ water relief comes in. If we use our credit card/ borrowing water that can provide temporary relief, but we still aren't making enough to hit even. This can cause us to head towards water bankruptcy.

Problem #3 Global warming is going to cause even more drought in the climate imbalance.

Problem #4 Imbalance of water leads to conflict, and conflict leads to war.


Why should we care as Duluthlians living near an abundant source of water? Lake Superior is at chronic low levels since January 1926. Other states and Canada are becoming more thirsty due to their own supplies of water being reduced down to drought levels. For example, if we keep living the way we are, the Lakewalk won't have much of a lake.

To address this we first must get out of denial. Start with yourself to make a change, Energy is the biggest sucker of water so turn off your electicty when not needed. The water we run down the drains uses energy to desanitize it. Turn off the faucet, shorten shower times, leave rain buckets out for water supply for plants, etc. At a bigger level we need to redo our infrastructure. We need to build dams, aqueducts, and other water supplies for tomorrow, not yesterday.