Blog Action Day 2010: Water

As a blogger, I sometimes put in a half-assed effort to participate in Blog Action Day. This year I resolve to do even less.

I thought about it for a bit. Water. The theme to this year's Blog Action Day and the key to all life on earth. The stuff that I splash on my face after I exfoliate and before I moisturize. (Maybe should have kept that to myself.) What do I have to say about water?

Well for one thing, I grew up around water. A lake was right down the street from my house. I could see it from my front yard. Even if you don't live next to a lake, if you live in the same province that I do then you're never far from a fresh-water lake. We also have water in our wells, in our rivers, in our ditches, pouring over our hydro dams; and too often it's in our basements and flooding our fields. Lately, if we've had any problem it all, it's too much water. Some of it may be dirty, or loaded with phosphorus and algae, but nevertheless we have minimal water problems compared with most other parts of the world.

What do I know about these other parts of the world? I have cleverly managed to avoid dust-caked third world nations in my limited travels around the world, so I have no special insight. I do recall from when I was in Spain that there was a problem with scarce water being diverted from irrigation for farms to posh golf courses and retirement resorts for wealthy Brits. Spain is drying up, as are parts of the U.S. and many other places. Everybody knows this though.

My dilemma about what to write was solved when I came to the realization that "Blog Action" is an oxymoron. There are few things that are less "active" than sitting in front of a computer blogging. The idea I suppose is that people read blogs, and maybe ... maybe ... somebody reading a "Blog Action" post will actually take action of some kind. But I think more than anything else, it's a feel good thing: be a part of a community or movement and experience a sense of camaraderie and purpose that you don't normally achieve by typing on a laptop in a basement while wearing a bath robe.

Perhaps if I had some unique experience to talk about ... but I don't. I installed a rain water collection barrel this year, but sadly I never made use of it. I installed a low-flow toilet in my house, so I guess that's something. I don't water my lawn, but mostly because I don't really care what my lawn looks like. If it can't survive on it's own, then screw it.

I will certainly read other people's posts and see what they have to say. I may learn something or get a new perspective on something. That's fine. But I won't feel bad about my own pitiful contribution. If the topic were "Beer that tastes like water" then okay -- I would have lots to say -- but that's not the case.

for different, probably more enlightened, views from local bloggers: DriveGoddess, SMW, OneManCommittee,