March | 2014 | womenspiritandfaith

World Water Day was March 22. I admit that I didn’t do anything special, but it got me thinking about water, life’s most essential ingredient. In California today, 99.8% of the state is in moderate to extreme drought. How do we live with decreasing amounts of water? What do we do about global warming, which is melting our snowpack and increasing evaporation from our extremely low reservoirs?

I, for one, aim to get more informed. I challenge myself to:

* Savor water, especially now that it is less plentiful.
* Save and reuse water. Here’s how:
Install water-efficient showerheads.
Take shorter showers and turn off the shower while lathering.
Use a cup instead of leaving the tap running while brushing teeth.
Regularly check for leaks.
Reuse water from rinsing or boiling by letting it cool and then watering plants with it.
Use a pail of water to wash your car rather than a hose.
Rinse dishes in a sinkpan rather than under running water.
Use a pan of hot water to defrost frozen food rather than running hot water.

Of course, these are just a few ideas to get us started! Joining activities to protect our sources for clean water is another action item. Water is our most precious resources, so let’ s outdo ourselves in keeping it renewable and available for all.