The first phase of the next phase

With my trusty workhorse of a Subaru fully loaded the first part of my journey has officially begun. I have started my migration route by packing up shop in Los Angeles and traveling North to the Bay Area for a brief layover before guiding some river trips in Oregon and California before heading to the Mississippi.

Driving North on I-5 from LA to San Francisco yesterday I followed along side the extensive canal system that transports water from Northern California to the Southern part of the state. This man made “river” not only allows us “southerners” to stay hydrated, but it helps to feed a nation by irrigating most of the crops along the way.

Along my drive, I was struck by just how extensive our irrigation systems must be in order to supply all the populations that have sprung up in areas without access to fresh water with that very water. I pondered just how much water is being siphoned from these rivers so that some, like the Colorado are unable to even make it to the Ocean before drying up.

The most thought provoking part of the journey was surrounding a campaign from the Farmers about water issues. There were sign posted regularly throughout my whole trip that said things like

“Food grows where water flows”

“Farm water feeds the Nation”

“Water is our Future”

The most prevalent of the signs, planted amongst every arid patch of earth I passed
“Congress Created Dustbowl”

Now I don’t know the specific politics behind this particular campaign and I’m not one to join on a bandwagon of finger pointing if I’m not familiar with the facts, but this campaign made me question once more just how complex an issue the water crisis is. I thought of the farmers shutting down fields and losing their livelihoods because of “congress.” I thought of how without these farmers, the supply of food decreases and price increases. I thought of the Environmental Groups lobbying for the endangered animals and habitats along our waterways. But most of all, regardless of the specifics of this case, I was struck by how apparent THE LACK OF WATER is. This was only reinforced later when I passed a giant reservoir and found it alarmingly low. California is entering our third year of drought and our water sources are significantly tapped.

This applies Nationwide though, as we are running out of the water that seems to endlessly flow from our faucets. And for the 1.2 Billion people worldwide without any access to clean water, the issue is a daily challenge, not a mild inconvenience of not being able to water your lawn everyday. It affects everyone; you and me, our neighbors, our friends, our farmers, our politicians...to say we are tied together intricately in a web would be an understatement...

I’m really looking forward to exploring this spidery entanglement with the people and communities we engage with along the Mississippi this summer. I’m keen about educating others and myself about these issues; collecting facts and information; starting discussions, and figuring out what we can do about it, before all of our rivers do in fact run dry.

If you’re looking to start taking ACTION immediately! You can do two simple things...the first thing is to Join our Network at http://www.whataboutblue.org and follow along with our journey. Start discussions by putting in your two cents about what’s going on and how you’re being affected, and find out what we’re learning along the way.

The second thing you can do is donate a “latte for life.” $5 per month for a year goes directly to local, national, and international charities working on the complexities of water in one way shape or form. (The Gulf Restoration Network, The River Network, and an NGO partner of Blue Planet Run are our current beneficiaries).

Until next time!