Three Easy Ways to Help the Environment During a Drought
The American West is facing one of the worst droughts in it's history- 72 percent of the region is in severe drought, and 26 percent is in exceptional drought. The Colorado River is in trouble, and nowhere is that more on display than Lake Mead, the reservoir made by the Hoover Dam. It's only 36 percent full. A third is left.
Other places getting bad news and no rain? Phoenix, Eastern Washington, and all of Utah.
So it looks like this summer is going to have lots of bad news, from water shortages to even more wildfires. It's easy to feel helpless, but what our choices have an impact, so let's make some easy switches to help preserve water.
Nobody can do everything but everyone can do something! Here are ideas to choose from, but you don't have to do it all.
1. Embrace brown grass
If you have a lawn, 70 percent of your household water use goes to it. If you have a grass lawn, all of that water is literally waste. Let your grass die this summer. It is so easy, even though it is radically against what most other things will tell you.
Your grass is not actually that good looking- it's basic and boring. Take the leap and take a break this summer, you may just inspire a neighbor to do the same.
2. Quit meat for the summer
Animal agriculture using an almost unimaginable amount of water and pollutes the water sources nearby. Can't quit all meat? Take a summer off of beef, which is the worst offender. You can take all the short showers in the world, but it will do way more good to stop funding these factory farms.
3. Stick it to Nestle
Like most issue intertwined with climate change, large corporations should be baring most of the responsibility, but we are only encouraged to make personal changes. No. Getting involved in activism will do more as corporations are held in check.
Do you know that Nestle has been stealing water from American communities AND actively working to make all water a private commodity. First, stop buying bottled water (it's literally stolen water wrapped in trash) when you can (if your home water is clean, an easy start would be stopping EVER drinking bottled water at home and getting a reusable bottle for on the go).
If you want to go bigger, consider checking out The Story of Stuff Nestle and Unbottling campaigns. Water should be accessible to everyone,, so we all need to help so these things don't sneak past us.
Ok, what little things are you doing for the planet this week?
