Saturday, June 28, 2008
Too much water - and other disasters
I was looking at pictures of flooded Iowa today and was awestruck by the destructive power of too much water. I've blogged about how important water is to life. But it's amazing how you can have too much of a good thing. So much land completely under water, killing the crops and destroying livelihoods. Between floods, tornadoes, and wildfires, it's been a rough month or two in the United States.
How many people's lives have been altered by nature in the past couple of months? And how many of them have the means to recover? Some are insured, have savings, and other support structures. Reconstructing their fractured lives will be difficult and emotional, to be sure, but largely a matter of time. But those living at or near poverty before disaster struck are facing a whole different reality. Disasters destroy homes, leaving some with nowhere to live. Disasters close businesses, sometimes permanently, causing loss of employment and income. Disasters interrupt health care treatment, making it difficult (or impossible) to tackle the work of recovering. Disaster interrupt education. For those who were struggling to stay in school in the first place, it can be difficult to go back. In the short term, disaster can destroy local food supplies and roadways, making short term hunger very real for everyone. But longer term, especially in rural areas, those who relied on gardens for even some of their food face new and unwelcome challenges.
The list of ways that natural disasters exacerbate the conditions for hunger and poverty go on; I've mentioned just a few. Knowing how many disasters the United States has had already this year, I wonder what the longer-term effect will be. How many who were living on the edge of poverty will now be solidly in it? The U.S. Census Bureau provides annual data about poverty in this country. It will be interesting to see how 2008 compares to 2007.
How many people's lives have been altered by nature in the past couple of months? And how many of them have the means to recover? Some are insured, have savings, and other support structures. Reconstructing their fractured lives will be difficult and emotional, to be sure, but largely a matter of time. But those living at or near poverty before disaster struck are facing a whole different reality. Disasters destroy homes, leaving some with nowhere to live. Disasters close businesses, sometimes permanently, causing loss of employment and income. Disasters interrupt health care treatment, making it difficult (or impossible) to tackle the work of recovering. Disaster interrupt education. For those who were struggling to stay in school in the first place, it can be difficult to go back. In the short term, disaster can destroy local food supplies and roadways, making short term hunger very real for everyone. But longer term, especially in rural areas, those who relied on gardens for even some of their food face new and unwelcome challenges.
The list of ways that natural disasters exacerbate the conditions for hunger and poverty go on; I've mentioned just a few. Knowing how many disasters the United States has had already this year, I wonder what the longer-term effect will be. How many who were living on the edge of poverty will now be solidly in it? The U.S. Census Bureau provides annual data about poverty in this country. It will be interesting to see how 2008 compares to 2007.
Labels: flood, hunger, natural disaster, poverty, water
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
What do you know about your water?
Last week I wrote about water, and how I had been unusually conscious of it recently. Hence it was ironic that I opened a publication from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee a few days ago that asked a series of questions about my water awareness. I could answer some of them, but not all. How about you?
- Where does you water come from?
- Is your water safe?
- Who makes decisions about the water in your community?
- Does everyone pay the same for water and sewage in your community?
- What happens in your community if a family cannot pay its water bill?
- Does your water or sewage provider have a plan for emergencies or rationing due to climate change?
If you know the answers, are you comfortable with them?
-Nancy Michaelis
Labels: lifestyle stewardship, water
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Water is Life (with a capital L)
How many times have you thought about water in the past week?
Where do you live?
I am fortunate to live in a place (Chicago suburbs) with, relatively speaking, plenty of water. In a typical week, I don't think about water much at all. Some days I don't consciously notice it; it's just always there. But in the past week water has inserted itself in ways I couldn't help but notice.
I think my raised awareness started when I saw the hot water running out of the bottom of our water heater. It had to be replaced, a process that took about 24 hours. Not long at all in the scheme of things, but nothing brings awareness of convenience so well as its absence. Especially when you're trapped in the house waiting for the repair man.
With my mind thus attuned to water and its absence, I noticed several water-related news stories. Yemen is experiencing drought and, consequently, food shortages. State politicians in the "Great Lake States" are meeting to discuss how to protect the Great Lakes as our water supply. An e-newsletter I received offered assistance in planting native landscaping, in part because it requires less water than grass and some other popular plants. The latest Mars rover is looking for signs of water on that distant planet. It seems that if I pay attention, I could relate a story I've heard about water issues pretty much every day.
But I don't usually pay that much attention.
Still, water got my attention again. I was at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago over the weekend. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and I was sitting on the low wall/bench along the sides of Crown Fountain. Crown Fountain is a rectangular plaza, about 200 feet long, with a rectangular tower at each end. Water showers straight down the sides of the towers and floods the plaza with an inch or two of water. (Water also occasionally shoots several feet into the plaza from the towers.) Dozens of people were playing in the water on the plaza as I watched.
And as I watched, it struck me how strange all those people playing there really was. Essentially, the fountain is an inch of water on the ground. Sure, you can stand under the showering towers, and plenty of kids were. But many more were playing in the larger space of the plaza and its inch of water. A giant puddle, really. What's so interesting about an inch of water on the ground? It wasn't a hot day, with uncomfortable people trying to cool off. It wasn't just kids playing. It was babies slapping at the water, parents chasing children, teenagers posing in groups and taking pictures with their phones, couples strolling through holding hands. It was all races and, I'm guessing, all economic levels. And it was happening in a place where water is abundant. It's not like most of these people didn't have access to water anywhere else. But yet they were all playing - some for quite a long time - in this giant puddle.
And it struck me, as it does from time to time, how elemental water is. How people - all people - are drawn to it, moved to cover themselves in it, share life and community in it, and celebrate a beautiful day in it. The fact that water is essential not just to living but Life is often removed from my day-to-day consciousness. But that day, our connection to this most basic substance of the planet was on display, and I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to sit down and notice it.
As we enter the summer months of heat and drying landscapes, I hope to carry with me the remembrance of my water-filled week. I will try to be mindful of not only my own dependence on water, but also the fact that everyone else in the world depends on it, too. May this understanding and awareness shape my actions and make me a better steward of this most elemental aspect of Life. And may you have your own similar moments.
Where do you live?
I am fortunate to live in a place (Chicago suburbs) with, relatively speaking, plenty of water. In a typical week, I don't think about water much at all. Some days I don't consciously notice it; it's just always there. But in the past week water has inserted itself in ways I couldn't help but notice.
I think my raised awareness started when I saw the hot water running out of the bottom of our water heater. It had to be replaced, a process that took about 24 hours. Not long at all in the scheme of things, but nothing brings awareness of convenience so well as its absence. Especially when you're trapped in the house waiting for the repair man.
With my mind thus attuned to water and its absence, I noticed several water-related news stories. Yemen is experiencing drought and, consequently, food shortages. State politicians in the "Great Lake States" are meeting to discuss how to protect the Great Lakes as our water supply. An e-newsletter I received offered assistance in planting native landscaping, in part because it requires less water than grass and some other popular plants. The latest Mars rover is looking for signs of water on that distant planet. It seems that if I pay attention, I could relate a story I've heard about water issues pretty much every day.
But I don't usually pay that much attention.
Still, water got my attention again. I was at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago over the weekend. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and I was sitting on the low wall/bench along the sides of Crown Fountain. Crown Fountain is a rectangular plaza, about 200 feet long, with a rectangular tower at each end. Water showers straight down the sides of the towers and floods the plaza with an inch or two of water. (Water also occasionally shoots several feet into the plaza from the towers.) Dozens of people were playing in the water on the plaza as I watched.
And as I watched, it struck me how strange all those people playing there really was. Essentially, the fountain is an inch of water on the ground. Sure, you can stand under the showering towers, and plenty of kids were. But many more were playing in the larger space of the plaza and its inch of water. A giant puddle, really. What's so interesting about an inch of water on the ground? It wasn't a hot day, with uncomfortable people trying to cool off. It wasn't just kids playing. It was babies slapping at the water, parents chasing children, teenagers posing in groups and taking pictures with their phones, couples strolling through holding hands. It was all races and, I'm guessing, all economic levels. And it was happening in a place where water is abundant. It's not like most of these people didn't have access to water anywhere else. But yet they were all playing - some for quite a long time - in this giant puddle.
And it struck me, as it does from time to time, how elemental water is. How people - all people - are drawn to it, moved to cover themselves in it, share life and community in it, and celebrate a beautiful day in it. The fact that water is essential not just to living but Life is often removed from my day-to-day consciousness. But that day, our connection to this most basic substance of the planet was on display, and I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to sit down and notice it.
As we enter the summer months of heat and drying landscapes, I hope to carry with me the remembrance of my water-filled week. I will try to be mindful of not only my own dependence on water, but also the fact that everyone else in the world depends on it, too. May this understanding and awareness shape my actions and make me a better steward of this most elemental aspect of Life. And may you have your own similar moments.
-Nancy Michaelis
Labels: Millennium Park, water
Monday, March 10, 2008
Feeling excessively clean
The following statistics caught my attention this weekend:
- The World Health Organization says a person needs 50 liters of water each day to meet basic human needs.
- The average person in the U.S. uses 300 to 378 liters per day.
If I had a little pie chart of my own use, I'm guessing the shower would account for the biggest slice. I do love a steamy shower in the winter! The kitchen sink and the toilet are probably next, except on laundry days. I wonder how many other uses would be in that chart. And I wonder just how much bigger the shower slice would be. I wonder how egregiously clean I am.
Labels: water, world hunger
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Do you need a drink?
I had two opportunities to reflect on "going to the well" this weekend. On Saturday a good friend and I spent the day at the "Global Luther" conference held at Northwestern University. I followed most of the academic presentations and panels and my notes reflect aha moments, questions, and flashes of inspiration. The agenda allowed good breaks for lunch and dinner, and my friend and I made good use of them in Evanston. I arrived home after 10 p.m., feeling refreshed.
Sunday morning I served as lector at church...and the Gospel lesson, about the Samaritan woman who encounters Jesus at the well, was read by Pastor Kristi (narrator), Alpha (Jesus), and me (the Samaritan woman). It was a renewing service from start to finish.
Going to the well. Life-giving water. In the middle of hard, good work, sometimes we forget to take a drink. Sometimes we don't realize that we are parched.
For me "going to the well" meant attending a conference outside of my work life, having lovely meals with a friend, and soaking up the Spirit during Sunday morning worship. What does it mean for you? Are you in need of a drink?
Sunday morning I served as lector at church...and the Gospel lesson, about the Samaritan woman who encounters Jesus at the well, was read by Pastor Kristi (narrator), Alpha (Jesus), and me (the Samaritan woman). It was a renewing service from start to finish.
Going to the well. Life-giving water. In the middle of hard, good work, sometimes we forget to take a drink. Sometimes we don't realize that we are parched.
For me "going to the well" meant attending a conference outside of my work life, having lovely meals with a friend, and soaking up the Spirit during Sunday morning worship. What does it mean for you? Are you in need of a drink?
Labels: ELCA World Hunger, Global Luther conference, going to the well, Samaritan woman, water, worship
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