A Deeper Green

originally posted on examiner.com

Living in the Great Lakes region it’s easy to take water for granted.

Most of us don’t think about the fact that not only do we have abundant water, but we also have abundant CLEAN water. Unfortunately, clean water is not something that all people have access too. Worldwide 2.5 billion people lack access to proper sanitation including drinking water and toilets.

And this is why in 1993, World Water Day was created by the United Nations to bring more awareness to water issues around the world. Every March 22nd the UN and not-for-profits around the world seek to educate on specific themes relevant to fresh water resources around the world. This year’s theme is “water quality = well being.”

Clean water for every in this world is something that we should all strive to attain. Think about how much of a role water plays in your life. The average American directly or indirectly uses 100 gallons of water each day for cooking or washing or drinking or any number of other things. Imagine what it would be like to not have access to abundant, clean water. For most of us who live here in Chicago, it is almost impossible to imagine. We take our water for granted.

If you are so inclined, use World Water Day as an opportunity to learn more about water issues, not just in our region, but around the world.
For more information about World Water Day please visit the UN World Water Day website.

Originally posted on examiner.com

Whether its invasive carp coming up the Illinois River or E. Coli breakouts closing beaches in the summer, its no secret that Lake Michigan is facing some devastating problems.

This article by Adrianne Appel places the blame for these stresses squarely on climate change. While I will never argue that climate change does not have an effect on ecosystems, I have a hard time fully supporting Appel’s assertion that all of Lake Michigan’s ills can be traces exclusively to climate change. Even within the article there are several other reasons for many of the ecological disruptions brought up.

The biggest example of this is Appel’s discussion of invasive species. Yes, invasive species are a huge problem in the Great Lakes, and their negative affect on Lake Michigan is well documented, but there is no clear link between invasive species and climate change. Appel makes some attempt to connect the two stating that as our climate gets warmer, invasive species may be more suited to thrive here, but that leaves out a big piece of the puzzle.

Zebra mussels, one example used in the article, have been in Lake Michigan for almost 20 years already, and they were brought by commercial traffic. Climate change did not introduce zebra mussels to the Great Lakes. In fact, the climate where the zebra mussel originates from (Eurasia) is remarkably similar to our climate here. They are not invading from a warmer climate, but enjoying the similarities of our climate to their native climate.

Appel seems to be making the argument that because of climate change, animals like the zebra mussel are more successful at invading Lake Michigan. While I suppose there is a possibility that this is true, it seems unlikely, and Appel certainly doesn’t make a very convincing argument.

That being said there are many other ecological problems facing Lake Michigan that do have a link to climate change, and the article is still worth reading. I just caution you and other readers to not shift the entire blame to climate change. Yes climate change plays a role, but so do many other factors, like agricultural run-off, poorly maintained sewer systems, and the human introduction of invasive species.

So to start off the day at MEEC, we were treated to a great and inspiring speech by Chad Pregracke, the driving force behind Living Lands and Waters. He spoke of his fantastic journey from a 17 year old kid who wanted to clean up the Mississippi River to the creation of Living Lands and Waters and on to what may even be a TV show on the Discovery Channel.

I was totally inspired and was so glad to be reminded that there are people out there that have accomplished things like this. People who are interested in making our world a better, cleaner place. People who are making a difference every day.

I don’t even think I can describe how fantastic it was to hear Chad speak today, but I can leave you with a link to his book From the Bottom Up: One man’s crusade to clean America’s river.

I have not read the above book, but I am planning on buying a copy of my own and providing a review here if there’s no room on your reading list right now.

Basically, just know that this is an organization with a great story and a great spokesman who is out there making the case for cleaning up our rivers, one piece of trash at a time

Some links to info about Chad and Living Lands and Waters:

~ You Should Know… Chad Pregracke, Chicago Magazine

~ Chad Pregracke: Garbage man of the Mississippi, MSNBC

~ Dude over troubled Water, Outside Online

~ Lending a Hand, Living Lands & Waters, Big River Magazine

Starting off my weekend with the International Coastal Clean-up on Saturday was fantastic. We did a great job collecting, and even though I did get sunburned (I need a hat for work!) I still had a great time.

I am hoping to have some pictures from the event a little bit later, but for now feel free to read my more in depth article at examiner.

And because it is a happy Monday I leave you with a link to an article that made me smile from Ecogeek, oneupmanship in renewable energy will pretty much always bring a smile to my face.

Hello all. After an unscheduled hiatus I am back and better than ever. At least I hope I am.

I just moved into a new apartment and am still getting settled, but I hope to start back with regular updates here starting now!

First, for your reading enjoyment I direct you to the wonderful blog Fake Plastic Fish. Beth Terry over there is doing a fantastic job cutting down on the plastic waste and inspiring pretty much everyone she meets. Read her break down of the ways that bottled water creates problems in our society.

So, why did the Chicago Tribune write this “Roundup” of water sources for the south and southwest suburbs last week? Because it came to light last month that the Village of Crestwood in south suburban Chicago had been pumping as much as 20% of its residents water from a contaminated well for two decades until 2007 when the well was finally closed.

I have been putting off writing an entry about it because my thoughts are so incoherant and angry, they still are, so I do apologize for this entry.

The EPA discovered the well was contaminated with dry cleaning toxins including vinyl chloride and informed the village. The village then proceeded to begin telling residents in water quality reports (these are required by the clean water act) that all of the residential water in Crestwood came from Lake Michigan via the nearby town of Alsip.

Now, I have worked at a water treatment plant, and I know that keeping water quality consistent can be difficult, and I know that there are times when water quality can suffer because of demand or many other problems, but not telling people that you are having those problems is where the criminality of this seems to come into play. 

If the Village of Crestwood had continued to use that water for emergencies only as the EPA had instructed, and then only when notifying the people using that water I would have very little problem with this. The problem would lie almost solely with the pollutors. But the lack of effor to inform the public of what was going on is appalling. And even worse outright lies were reported to the citizens of Crestwood about the quality of their water.

What is even worse, is that it seems that at least state officials were aware on some level that this was happening as well, and yet they let it go on for 22 years!

Rargh. I guess I don’t really have a good point, but I just wanted to talk about this a little bit and let people know that even if you are being told that your water is safe, you may want to trust any instincts that you have, because it seems that in some cases the ball is being dropped. 

More links on this:

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/04/crestwood-well-water-contamination-chemical-mayor-robert-stranczek-governor-pat-quinn-illinois-envir.html

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/05/bad-water-on-minds-not-agenda-in-crestwood.html