New Beginnings

Spring. A time that breeds new beginnings, blossoming flowers, rejuvenation of mojo after the cold winter…. and the weight of three more classes to tack on your “to-do” list. My week off in Sedona Arizona afforded me the luxurious relaxation of friends, hikes, rivers, climbing and sunshine amidst the backdrop of the serene Red Rocks of the Southwest.

 Here’s what the quarter looks like:

1. Climate Change and Energy course co-taught by a law professor and a biology professor.

2. Food and Water Security by the assistant director of the MDP, Dr. Suki Hoagland.

3. Multi-level Data Analysis, a course walking us through the steps of conducting sound research with, again, the great Suki.

Here’s what Day One of the Quarter looked like yesterday:

1. Of all the water on the planet, a mere 1% of it is available to humans in streams, rivers and lakes… and we're depleting it much faster than the natural recharge rate.

2. One drop of oil renders 25 liters of water undrinkable.

3. The production of ONE TON of grain requires ONE THOUSAND TONS of water.

Doomsday 101? No. Rather, an inspiring pairing of courses on the environment and how our decisions, both locally and globally, can affect the sustainable livelihoods of billions, yes billions of people. While the average American uses 100 gallons of water a day in the household alone, we were assigned various readings in National Geographic’s Special Issue on Water where I learned that African women may traverse difficult terrain for more than 8 hours a day just to retain 2.5 gallons for her entire family. Nearly 900 million people in the world do not have access to clean water. However, I was also enlightened with the thrilling innovation of people all over the world attempting to mitigate the negative impacts of Climate Change on marginalized populations: natural sand dams catching and filtering rainwater that would normally drain away, or toilets that generate Methane gas for new communal kitchens in small communities.

As Barbara Kingsolver says, “Water is life. Its the briny broth of our origins, the pounding circulatory system of the world, a precarious molecular edge on which we survive.” And we have overdrawn our accounts, to say the least. The three courses this spring should help me understand the greater discourse on this facet (among many others) of the intersection of climate change and people. Maybe we can learn together how to transform the reality into one in which those same African women can turn on a faucet just like ours, out of which flows not only the physical resource of water, but dignity as well.