Related Posts
California community coexists with coyotes
Southern California is a strange place. It is the global center for popular culture; film, television, music, media,...
Climate change: Smog and heat mean more “unhealthy days” for California
Maps using data on ozone pollution, ragweed and “extreme heat days” in the United States show California to...
NASA’s GRACE Satellites and the Loss of California’s Water SupplyCalifornia is melting!—or at least rapidly drying out.
We all know of the melting problems in Greenland, Antarctica, the...
Solar job growth in California and the world
Despite the well-publicized bankruptcy of California-based solar panel manufacturer Solyndra, solar power is a growth industry in the...
Saving energy: California clamps down on ‘vampire’ chargers
Wasteful battery chargers for smartphones, tablet computers, laptops, etc., will be subject to new, stricter rules in the...
Get your Eco Starter Kit
Create an account and start harvesting Carbon Credits! Exchange your Carbon Credits for green goodies, like the Eco-Hatchery Starter Kit!
-
Green network users
3,046 Users - Show All
Green Directory
Tip of the Day
Go grocery shopping locally to help reduce your carbon footprint
Southern California’s water habits don’t make sense
photo by Kjkolb (Wikimedia Commons)
I recently posted about the drought in Texas and how that American state is suffering from a combination of effects due to climate change, urbanization (in a desert, no less) and groups who seek to profit from the current water crisis.
The great state of California, Southern California to be more precise, is not currently facing drought conditions like Texas, but simply does not have the water to supply its nearly 22.5 million inhabitants
Southern California currently pumps in much of its water from the Colorado River, over the border with Arizona, uphill – 242 miles (390 km) along the Colorado River Aqueduct. This pumping of some 900 million gallons (3.5bn liters) per day is costly and requires a lot of energy. Climate change legislation and increasing costs are making the already impractical practice of importing water less appealing. This may have its pluses.
The twin forces of energy prices and climate-change regulations are threatening Southern California’s long love affair with imported water, increasing the allure of local sources such as groundwater, rain and recycled supplies.
–Los Angeles Times
Perhaps those Southern California’s residents might consider conserving more water by simply using less. Those with manicured lawns – unnatural and non-native to So Cal – could consider having front and back yards with local and/or less water intensive plant life, rocks, sand, etc. Check out this piece in Sunset for how good-looking and environmentally sound a natural ‘California friendly’ yard can be.
The issue should be the conservation of water along with businesses and residents living a practical, affordable lifestyle, not corporations’ rights to make money from selling water. Policies should reflect the interests of citizens and the environment (same thing, really) and not the relentless drive for corporate profits.
Read more on this subject in the Los Angeles Times.
Tags: aqueduct, California, Colorado River, Southern, water
2 Comments
You can also log in to post a comment.
Other Greenfudge.org posts
Breaking: Gaddafi may sabotage oil pipelines to Mediterranean
Time Magazine has cited a source close to Colonel Gaddafi’s regime in Libya claiming that the North African dictator may sabotage oilfields and pipelines to the Mediterranean Sea. In the first Gulf War of 1991, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered engineers to burn oil fields and blow up wells in Kuwait, burning one billion barrels of crude and creating an ecological catastrophe which killed vegetation and wildlife, polluted groundwater and poisoned the local human population. Besides cutting oil supplies to Europe, if...
Belgium says no nukes, but should it?
Growing anti-nuclear sentiment in Europe has reached another milestone. Following Germany’s move to close all of its nuclear power plants by 2022, Belgium has decided to shut its own starting in 2015 and completing by 2025, according to a Reuters report. Much like the companies that run Germany’s nuclear stations, Belgium’s energy operator, Electrabel, warned of blackouts, environmental pollution and a decrease in energy independence as a result of the imminent shut down of the country’s 7 atomic power plants. From AFP: Already...
Q: How can I be “green” in the garden?
A: Being the owner of a garden is a pleasure, but also means many duties: watering, weeding, replanting, mowing. If your bills are significantly higher during the summer months, it means that you use water and energy uneconomically. Don’t forget about a few green rules and not only will you enjoy a beautiful garden, but also lower bills. Maintaining a lawn is the most water- and power-consuming cultivation in the garden. To water a square metre of grass you need several...
BlablaCar: Share a car, split the costs and save tons of CO2 at the same time
BlablaCar is a community-based travel service. Founded in 2006, the site now has over 1.5 million drivers and passengers and is growing by over 50,000 users every month. The concept of the website, www.blablacar.com, is to provide its members with a social platform that allows car owners with empty car seats to connect with people looking for a ride in Europe (France, Spain and more recently the UK). What makes the BlablaCar concept unique is its mix of travel site and social...
Leatherback Sea Turtles May Have a Fighting Chance
The critically endangered leatherback sea turtle may gain a better chance of survival in the Pacific Ocean. NOAA Fisheries officials are considering the possibility of designating special habitat for the turtles off the coasts of California and Oregon. Pushed by a petition and lawsuit filed by conservation groups—including Oceana, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Turtle Island Restoration Network—the decision must be made by December 4th. Since the turtles migrate from nesting areas in Indonesia to the U.S. Pacific coast each...
Fair is Fair: How Fair Trade Can Help the Environment
It seems our food and products have so many labels these days – “organic,” “local,” “cruelty-free,” and now the latest is “fair trade.” This particular label is not only found on foods, but on crafts, clothing and even beauty products. But exactly is fair trade, and how can the environment benefit from it? Standards of living vary worldwide –that is a fact. In some countries, particularly third world or developing countries, people can survive on less money than those of, say,...
The Goode Family: Mike Judge Tackles Bourgeois Environmentalism
The Goode Family is a new animated series created by Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead, Kind of the Hill, Office Space, Idiocracy); which airs on America’s ABC Television. It is a satirical take on a politically correct, vegan, hybrid driving, environmentally conscious family, who struggle with the economic, social and cultural pressures of being “good” in an ever-changing world. Judge is known for satirizing different aspects and segments of American culture, such as the dumbing down of society due...
Chinese medicine, ecology and endangered species
2010 is (roughly) the Year of the Golden Tiger according to the Chinese calendar. An article from the Press Association reports that this alone is enough to inspire increased vigilance against tiger poaching in India – and so the South Asian nation is 'beefing up' security due to this concern: 'They fear an increase in the demand for tiger parts and derivatives widely used in Chinese traditional medicine as the new year could fuel the illegal trade of the animal from...
Winter Gardening: Tips, Tricks and Advice
Winter landscapes can look very bleak and monotone, especially if you live in a cold region. Colors disappear with the autumn leaves and you have to wait until spring before you see them again. If you live in an area that usually gets hit with ice and snow, you may know the routine of bringing some of your plants indoors or covering them with special netting-like material. However, there are ways to keep your gardens colorful and full of life,...
China, Japan, Philippines: Extreme weather causes death and chaos in Asia
According to China’s Civil Affairs Ministry, rainstorms and floods have left at least 118 people dead and a further 47 missing in southern China this month. Damage from the flooding includes the destruction of some 101,000 houses, the relocation of 1.1 million people and an estimated financial toll of around $3.3bn (€2.6bn). From a xinhuanet.com report: By 4 p.m. Wednesday, more than 32.3 million people in 10 southern provinces and Chongqing Municipality had been affected by continuous rainstorms and floods, the ministry said. Euronews...
View all articles
Here here!
Key words, simple and practicality. Now a days we cannot live out of our capriciousness, whether we afford it or not. keep in mind money has no valor if one of the most necessity in life is no longer available…All must conserve water, fluid, agua, h2o from royalty down to peasantry….no exemptions!!!!!!!!