"By the year 2025 the world will need to find a way to increase its freshwater supply by 20 percent in order to meet current demand. And that ain't easy; you can't just make freshwater." - New York Times bestselling author Thomas Kostigan, in his latest release, You Are Here.

Water is in trouble. This once-vast natural resource, arguably the most definable characteristic of planet Earth - in essence, the reason we are here - is rapidly depleting worldwide at rates that will not sustain life as we know it. This might be a very simple fact, but it cannot be stated often enough, if only because here in the United States, where to drink, shower, flush the toilet, brush our teeth, or launder our clothes is very second-nature, most of us do not think twice about our water consumption. (I am certainly at fault. This morning, I ran my shower for 5 minutes just to warm the pipes. Yikes!)

Part of the issue is pollution; part of it is urbanization. According to environmental expert Thomas Friedman, these are things that require collective action on the part of government (and he means our government) that will disrupt the world's patterns of consumption - and perhaps he is right. However, part of the issue is also lack of awareness, and that is something that can be fixed by all of us right here in Darien. Here are a few ways of how we can all become more aware:

The Darien Community Association & Connecticut Fund for the Environment are currently hosting a Spring 2009 Environmental Lecture Series, entitled Troubled Water: Safeguarding a Vital Resource. (Click here for more information). The speakers will discuss the water crisis from varying perspectives, including the impact of a green economy on our water supply, the efforts to preserve the Long Island Sound and its natural habitats, and how restoring certain fishes to Connecticut's rivers can help to improve the health of our water. To complement the lecture series, the Darien Nature Center will exhibit "No Water No Life" by one of the lecturers, Alison Jones.

In addition, stop by Darien Library's 2nd Floor to check out a display of books that provide some additional perspectives on solving our troubled water situation. A few selections of note: 

Power to the People by Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, who uses his expertise in economics (as a correspondent for The Economist) and technology (as a graduate from MIT) to lend authority to this edgy, entertaining examination of how we can save our planet.

When the Rivers Run Dry by Fred Pearce. He travels to more than 30 countries to assess the current state of the world's rivers and offers remedies that suggest developing a new water ethic and management system, as well as ridding ourselves of practices based on self-interest.

Blue Gold by Maude Barlow & Tony Clarke. It's about the bottom line, of course! A chilling account of how corporations such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Evian are quickly purchasing the rights to freshwater supplies and in turn, selling bottled water for profit while depleting municipal supplies.

Also, visit H2O Conserve, where you can calculate your water footprint (it's fun and verrrry revealing!), read about current issues related to the water crisis and various solutions for them, and learn simple ways that you and your family can begin to conserve water at home, at work, at school, and at play. You will find that it is easy to make simple changes in your life that can truly make a difference!