ecoyear

I wrote recently that the rainwater harvesting law in Colorado had been changed. Well I found out more details today. It turns out you can harvest rainwater, but only if you have a well, and you can use what you harvested to water your vegetables if you had previously been using your well for that.

That's a change, I suppose, but a very inconsequential one for the vast majority of Colorado residents, I imagine. 

So for a taste of what it is like to really be in a situation where water is becoming scarce, and laws and multinational corporations have taken control of your most basic survival resource, there is a recent movie called FLOW (For Love of Water). I imagine the best thing would be to buy it, though it might also be available on the web.

I have considered myself a bit of a nazi recently, for trying to avoid buying packaged drinking products of any kind except milk. The movie makes it clear I am right. Bottled water is not only unregulated, and frequently tap water at that, but when it is not, it can deplete local areas of their drinking water. The laws are very poor in that regard. But also soft drinks have to be made with water. Where is their manufacturing located, and why? The movie shows a case from India where local people became showered in sludge after a Coca-Cola factory moved in. What about Vitamin Water, and Izze? What about juice from concentrate? What about growing our vegetables (or flowers) in other countries? Do we know enough water is left for the local population? Should we care?

The locally-based life is looking more and more appealing to me.

On another topic, this week the Boulder Weekly has an interview with Chris Martenson. See last post for Martenson's appearances in Boulder and Denver. It should be fascinating and informational!