Protecting Your Watershed
February 27, 2007
When you turn on your water faucet and that endless stream of water shoots out, do you ever wonder where that water is coming from? When you are cleaning your kitchen floors and rinse your mop out in the sink, do you ever wonder where that will go once it goes down the drain? When you are out in your driveway washing your car, do you ever wonder where the run off will go? Chances are that this all becomes part and has come from your watershed.
What many of us don’t think about and take for granted is the “endless” supply of clean water. All we have to do is turn on a faucet and, boom, there it is. But what do you think happens to that water supply when you factor in different stresses on the resource: population growth, pollution, human ignorance, a changing climate, etc? Think about it. Chances are pretty good that in our lifetime, maybe sooner than later, you’ll see a shortage on this natural resource. Face it, we’re already there, we’re in crisis, but it hasn’t reached that point of no return yet.
Here is a small list of things that you can do to help protect your watershed…
* In order to help protect your watershed, you must first understand it. Take a walk down a local waterway or find a map of your region displaying all the tributaries into your watershed. If you live in the Maryland, DC, Virginia area, you are all part of the Chesapeake Bay or Potomac Watershed in one form or another. To learn more about Potomac Watershed visit the AFI here or for the Chesapeake Watershed visit the Chesapeake Bay Program here.
* Look into area watershed clean-up projects. Help to pull the garbage and illegally dumped products, such as tires, old cars and couches, out of the water and help restore the fragile ecosystems.
* Practice water conservation. Turning off the water while you brush your teeth can save up to 5 gallons of water per brush. If you have a car, wash it on the lawn with a biodegradable earth friendly cleaner. This takes care of your car and waters your lawn from the runoff. Only run your dishwasher or clothes washer when full. Try to cut your shower time in half, or shower every other day.
* Change starts in your home. Raise awareness among your household members and extend it out to your community about your watershed and how we can all help to contribute to a cleaner environment.
* The cleaners that we use in our homes and places of work don’t just disappear when they wash down the sink; they get into our watershed. Use earth friendly cleaning products around your home and out in your yard. This will help minimize your impact on the things entering into your watershed and ultimately back through your pipes. (There is a large selection of earth friendly cleaners available at MOMs.)
Potent Snow
February 7, 2007
Do you remember the days when you were a kid and how magical and exciting falling snow was? Do you remember running out into the yard, holding out your arms, turning your head up and opening up your mouth so that you could catch a few of the falling flakes? Last night when I saw the snow falling in my DC home, I did just that. I ran outside and stuck out my tongue to catch some flakes. It was then that I stopped and really thought about what I was doing. Could I be ingesting pollution in form of a snow flake?
There is scientific evidence that suggests that the pollution in the atmosphere is just floating around up there and will bind to water droplets. When the conditions are right, the water will drop in form of rain or snow, which then re-deposits
pollution whereever it may fall. Imagine that. Imagine all the different chemicals and compounds from different sources of pollution that could be floating around up there, causing that tan haze in the afternoon hours, the red sunsets and ultimately the things that are floating around up there that is causing the topic that are on the lips of so many; global warming.
A prime example is a study site on Mt. Rainier in Washington state. There have been scientists studying the snow fall and snow packs up high on the mountain, and they have found traces of pesticides and other compounds that are so dangerous that they are illegal in the United States. When we release chemicals and compounds into the environment, we aren’t only hurting ourselves, we are hurting the rest of the nation and the rest of the world. Something to think about.
This blog isn’t meant to stop you from appreciating rain or snow. It is meant to inform you of potential dangers and the effects that we have on the environment.
The Daily Compost has a new look!
