Fresh Water Roundtable Reading List

Reading List: Global Issues Project
Expert Roundtable on Water
November, 8-9, 2008

Bakker, Karen. Eau Canada: The Future of Canada’s Water, University of British Columbia Press, 2006. ISBN 9780774813402

Barlow, Maude. Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the coming Battle for the Right of Water, McClelland and Stewart, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7710-1072-9

Brandes, Oliver M., Maas, Tony and Reynolds, Ellen. Thinking Beyond Pipes and Pumps: Top 10 ways communities can save water and money, Project on Ecological
Governance, University of Victoria. ISBN 13-978-1-55058-350-2

De Villiers, Marq. Water, Stoddart Publishing Co., 2000. ISBN 0-7737-6174-8

Glennon, Robert. Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping And The Fate Of America's Fresh Waters, Tucson: University of Arizona, Island Press, 2002. ISBN 978-1-559-63223-2

Homer-Dixon, Thomas. The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization, Alfred A. Knopf Canada. ISBN 13-978-0-676-07722-6

Korten, David C. When Corporations Rule the World, West Hartford: Kumarian Press and San Fransisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1995.

Montgomery, David R. Dirt: The Erosion of Civilization, Berckeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2007.

Morris, T.J, Boyd, D.R., Brandes, O.M., Bruce, J.P, Hudon, M., Lucas, B., Maas, T., Nowlan, L., Pentland, R., and Phare, M. Changing the Flow: A Blueprint for Federal Action on Freshwater, The Gordon Water Group of Concerned Scientists and Citizens, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9699660-3-6

The World Watch Institute. State of the World, W. W. Norton & Company, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 , 2009. ISBN 978-0-393-32934-0, 2005

United Nations. World Water Development Report II: Water a shared responsibility, UNESCO World Assessment Program, New York: UNESCO & Berghan Books, 2006

Wood, Chris. Dry Spring: The Coming water crisis of North America. Raincoast Books, 2008. ISBN 13-978-55192-814-2




November 4, 2008

Removing Plastic Water Bottles from Municipalities

Dear friends

Recently I was asked to support an action by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, who are asking each city and town to illiminate the sale of drinking water in plastic bottles on their facilities. They will increase water fountains in public buildings instead. Some are asking for the removal of all drinks out of plastic bottles. This would be a saving for the council and for the environment. Their drinking water out of the tap is 100%. Here is what one Municipality says:

Waste:
1. plastic bottles account for 1.6 kg from each household each year which goes to the dump or are burnt. In addition there are 6.6 kg that are recycled.

2. Their city dumps 1,521 tons of plastic bottle per year.

3. The cost of collection and recovery is $265 per ton.

4. Also they become street litter.

5. City of Toronto recycled 1,000 tonnes or 65 million plastic water bottles last year.

6. About 35 million plastic bottles end up in landfill.

Coorporations and Transportation:

7. Manufacturing 29 billion plastic bottles = 17 million barrels of crude oil.

8. Fuel required to transport bottled water = 38,000 eighteen-wheel transport trucks a week.

9. 20% of municipalities have faced water shortages recently.

To try and help the situation your Granny has written a 'Water Dedication" for you to sign and try and put into action. Please ask your schools to do this with every student.

Love
Julia

World Water Day March 22, 2008

Dear friends

Yesterday was World Water Day, but we know that 'water day is everyday'. In this picture you can see the results of the drought, on the River Murray at its Mouth in South Australia. All this part of the river is usually covered with water. The situation is very serious. I have created a slideshow using Helen and Scott Irvine's photos. Thank you to David Morton for flying in his new helicopter around the Lower Lakes and the Murray River's Mouth. Also thank you to Frank Refchange for your important photos.

First open the Port Elliot Flyers song "Let the Murray Flow" written by Shane Howard and Anne Todd in 2004. It was sent to me by Carol VanDalen and goes well with the slide show of the River Murray situation below.

http://ihtec.podbean.com/

Here is the slide show

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2518860/MurrayDarlingBasinAust

Do hope you can see and understand the differences from Granny's photos taken in 1987and Scott and Helen's photos in 2008.

Here is another slide show about water in South Australia.

http://www.savethemurray.com/facts_coorong_lower_lakes_and_murray_mouth.php

We all need to listen to the Ngarrindjeri Sea Country Plan. It is found here

http://www.environment.gov.au/indigenous/publications/pubs/ngarrindjeri-scp-2006-1.pdf

I am planning an online Water Round Table for young people during the year. Also IHTEC will participate in the 'Global Issues Water Round Table' in November 2008.

Do hope you will study the water situation where you are and join us.

Cheers
Julia