Blog action on water

Today is Blog Action day - this year the theme is water. Last year, more than 13,000 bloggers participated from 152 countries including Ruscombe Green (see here). The aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion about an important issue that impacts people around the world.

Well water has been a big issue on this blog so despite not having time to write anything I thought I must support this event. Locally I helped found the Ruscombe Brook Action Group, the Safe Water Campaign for Gloucestershire (to stop water fluoridation) and the Stroud Valleys Water Forum. I also sit on the Wessex Water panel on behalf of Stroud District Council. This blog has covered a plethora of issues like whether water companies are extracting too much, support for better catchment management, why we need to pee in compost, local sewage problems, sewage sludge in farming, the lack of pristine rivers in the UK, trying to get water on agenda at Copenhagen, drugs in our water and loads and loads more. I've also looked at saving water in the garden and the excellent tips around home.

But perhaps most important item in terms of this day is our water footprint - see here my blog: "on average a single person in the UK goes through 150 litres of water a day by drinking, flushing and washing, around 30 times that amount is consumed by ‘virtual’ water – the water embedded in the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the numerous other items we consume. This is equivalent to someone having 58 baths or washing their clothes 75 times in a single day."

We cannot continue to import water in the way we do - the impact on the planet is too great. This is a time for change and I see it coming in those local action groups and raised awareness - our respect for water is returning.

Change.org|Start Petition