The Need for Clean Water – Blog Action Day 2010

This year’s Blog Action Day’s subject is water. Specifically, the need for more clean water around the world.

As a southern Californian, I have a lot of sympathy for those who don’t have water, even though we have plenty of water for our needs. We grumble about lawn watering rationing here, but that’s nothing compared to the desperate shortage of water others live with every day of their lives.

About one billion people on this planet don’t have access to safe, clean water. This results in 80% of diseases and kills more people weekly than war. This is hard to imagine, coming from a place where scarce water means to most people that their lawn turns brown – the horrors! But a lack of water is a harsh reality elsewhere.

A lack of water is a major contributor to poverty. You can’t do much if you don’t have water. You have to spend hours collecting water, and hope it doesn’t make you sick. The lack makes basic sanitation difficult.

Just think of all that water is necessary for on a daily basis. Drinking, growing food, sanitation, bathing. If you lack water, you have to prioritize which of these you can do when you get water, sometimes after walking miles to retrieve it.

There’s a question now about if access to water should be a basic human right. The UN says yes. Putting that into action and finding ways to supply water to those who don’t have it is going to be quite a challenge. It’s not a situation that can be fixed quickly, resolution or no. It’s going to take time and money to fix it. The problem has at least been recognized, and that’s the first step.

Those of us who have more access can help. First and foremost, look into charities and other organizations that are making water more accessible to communities that need it.

Also look at your own lifestyle. Water supplies are almost shamelessly wasted and polluted in many areas. That needs to change, for out own good as well as the good of others.

That means rethink your lawn. Is it the best choice and is it the right type of grass for your area? Are you using chemical fertilizers on it that wash off and end up in creeks and rivers?

Where does your water come from? Is the supply good now? Is it being overused to where there won’t be water available from that source in the future? Aquifers do dry up, as do other sources of water, when they’re overused. There are places in the United States where it’s not at all clear that water will continue to be readily available.

How Do You Get Your Children to Play Outside More?

One of the healthiest habits you can build for your child is to encourage more outdoor play. It encourages physical fitness and an appreciation of nature. Sadly, many parents don’t push this issue very much at all. They let their children play inside too much of the day, and give them too much time to watch television and play on the computer.

This isn’t just about children old enough to go play outside on their own. This is also about getting outside with children so young they need supervision every minute. It’s about getting out into nature even when you have an infant so young that you have to carry him or her the entire time.

One of the best books I’ve read on this topic is Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. Read it, and you’ll know much more about why you want your children to play outside every day.

The younger you start, the more appealing outdoor play will be. Hot, cold, remember that there are appropriate clothes for just about any weather. If your kids say the weather is wrong and you want them to play outside, take a look and what they’re wearing and make any necessary changes before shooing them out.

Outdoors should be appealing. A swing set can get kids begging to go outside for as long as they fit on it. But even something as simple as a 2×4 board used as a balance beam will get many kids out and playing. Don’t forget basics such as a bicycle and roller skates for outdoor fun.

Kids shouldn’t always have to play outside alone. It’s good for you to join them, and increase their exposure to nature in more places than the local park or your backyard. It’s also good to get yourself out and active. Go camping or hiking as a family. You don’t have to make it a huge expedition. An hour’s hike, or a single night out camping is a good experience for the entire family. Take longer trips as everyone in the family learns to appreciate it more.

For simpler times, kick or throw a ball around in the back yard together. Go for rides or walks around your neighborhood. Make these outdoor family times a part of your family routine, not just something for special days.

Don’t forget the value of friends for getting the kids to play outside! Any neighborhood friends your kids have are a great incentive to getting them outside and playing. Get to know the parents and make outdoor play something they enjoy as a group.

You may have battles about being sent out to play. There will be times to give in and times to fight it out. Do your best to have your kids value their outdoor playtime so it will be looked forward to rather than complained about.

More Great Books About Getting Kids Outside

Sharing Nature with Children
I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature
Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children
Fun With Nature (Take-Along Guide)

When Do You Wean?

When it works, breastfeeding is a delightful activity for mother and child. It provides the best source of nutrition for an infant, as well as health benefits to the mother. It’s the most environmentally friendly way to feed a baby as well, needing no extra equipment such as bottles, and no need to buy can after can of formula. But inevitably the time comes when you start to think about weaning.

There are a lot of differing ideas about when to wean. Some say sooner, some say later. But what really matters is what works for you.

Early Weaning

Some say to wean early. My mother-in-law tried that when I was breastfeeding my first, wanting me to wean at 6 weeks, then six months, and on it went. For some mothers, that’s the right choice because they can’t afford the time it takes to breastfeed, or it’s painful for them, or they have to work and no place to pump. These things happen, and it’s not always possible or reasonable for a mother to continue breastfeeding, even when she wants to.

And of course some simply don’t want to. It doesn’t appeal to them for one reason or another. While this means they’re going to have to use formula, I’m a firm believer in bodily autonomy, and that means they have the right to not breastfeed.

Weaning at One Year

A lot of moms wean their babies at one year. It’s a time recommended by many pediatricians. Babies no longer feed exclusively on their mother’s milk by this age, and are easily enjoying pureed foods. It’s also felt to be a safe time in most cases to introduce cow’s milk, as an allergic reaction is less likely as baby gets older.

Weaning at Two Years

Age two is another popular time, as the World Health Organization recommends at least two years of breastfeeding. The baby has become a toddler and can chew many foods.

Child Led Weaning

Child led weaning is my personal favorite. It’s more comfortable for mother and child, if the breastfeeding relationship has lasted this long. You rely on signals from your child to decide when to wean.

This age varies tremendously. My two oldest self weaned by 18 months. My youngest is firmly in favor of continuing the breastfeeding relationship, at age 20 months.

Child led weaning can lead to extended breastfeeding, with children aged 3, 4 and more before they want to wean. It takes some extra dedication to breastfeeding to let your child decide when it’s done. On the plus side, you get to enjoy the closeness of breastfeeding for as long as your child cares to continue it.

When breastfeeding works, it’s one of the most beautiful parts of the mother-child relationship. No one can get as close to a baby as a mother who is breastfeeding. Giving a bottle of expressed milk lets others participate, but it’s not the same as nursing a suckling child. It can be more than an obligation; it can be a delight.

As for my current breastfeeding situation, I’m giving very gentle nudges toward weaning, mostly making other drinks more readily available. She’ll take the hint or not, it’s not a major matter of stress for me, although I’m ready to be done.

Do Green Energy eBooks Really Deliver?

There are a number of ebooks on Clickbank and other places that talk about ways you can generate energy at home. They sound pretty good, but if you take a closer look, they have a lot of problems. The biggest problem is that they don’t deliver exactly what you’re hoping for.

Solar, Wind, Magnetic?

There are a few products out there, going on about how you can generate enough energy to run your entire home on solar, wind or magnetic energy for cheap. Matter of fact, you can build it yourself at a reasonable cost!

These schemes work well because we all want to save money on our power bills. Make it sound cheap and easy to do it in a green way, and people will go for it. They even include plans for building the product and tips on how to get parts for cheap.

Let’s start with solar. You can’t make your own solar cells. You can buy old solar cells and connect them, but they aren’t going to be good enough for what is claimed, and may not be safe to run.

Good quality solar cells are expensive, although the situation is looking better with thin film solar. You need professional installation to make sure the installation is done safely. You aren’t going to be allowed to connect your system to the grid if you don’t have a safe product correctly installed.

Wind sounds easy, but have you ever looked at a wind farm? Those towers are tall for a reason, and the blades are very long. This is necessary to generate a reasonable amount of power.

As for magnetic, they’re blinding you with terminology to hide the fact that they’re promoting a perpetual motion device. It will not keep working on its own.

Are these products good for anything?

Well, they might make interesting science fair projects for kids, but I wouldn’t be hooking the result up to my home. They also provide some reasonable tips on saving energy in your home, but you can probably find that elsewhere.

If it were really so easy to make systems that generate energy for homes, there would be entrepreneurs all over the place making these and selling them. Don’t believe in schemes to keep these things hidden. If these things are so simple, it would just take an enterprising soul to buy the books, start building the systems and home and selling them for massive profits that are still less than you’d pay for the real thing.

I’d love for green energy to be cheap and affordable. It’s not yet, and that’s the reality. We need to support the real green energy solutions so that they can be improved and made cheaper over time.

How Do You Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup… I Mean, “Corn Sugar” in Your Food?

There’s been a lot of talk about how unhealthy high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is. There’s been enough talk that the industry is changing its name to “corn sugar” in the hopes that people won’t realize they’re the same thing. They go on about how it’s perfectly safe in moderation, without noting how, in the standard American diet, it’s really hard to consume HFCS in moderation. That stuff is in foods you’d never expect to need sweeteners.

No matter which side of the argument you’re on, you can probably agree that avoiding unnecessary sweeteners is a good thing. Most of us don’t need the extra calories or the potential health issues. It pays to know that studies are showing definite issues with HFCS, such as a study done at Princeton where rats fed HFCS gained more weight than rats given table sugar, even when the total calories were the same.

There’s one simple step that will help you avoid significant quantities of HFCS: avoid processed foods.

It’s amazing when you look at the labels of processed foods and realize how many of them are sweetened, usually with HFCS. It’s massively overused because corn subsidies make it a very, very cheap sweetener. It’s one of the big reasons why I don’t like corn subsidies. There are many crops I would rather see grown.

You will also need to look at things like the bread you buy. Many store bought breads are made with HFCS. I was quite surprised to see sugar, honey and molasses listed on the ingredient list of my favorite store bought bread, which costs less than many other brands. Too often that’s not the case.

Rather than eat processed foods, focus on cooking from scratch. Yes, it is more work. With a good attitude, cooking is something you can look forward to. Give yourself some time and you won’t think all that well of the taste of processed foods.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are a big part of this. In season is best, but go with what’s available to you to keep things fresh rather than processed.

Try a variety of grains too, rather than sticking with basics such as rice. My kids don’t like quinoa on its own, but if I cook it with the rice, they like the combination better than rice alone. I like that we’re getting something a little better than plain rice out of the deal, and it’s no harder than making regular rice. I even use my rice cooker.

Most especially, avoid most sodas and fruit drinks with HFCS added. Some sodas have regular sugar added instead, and if you want a soda, that’s a better choice than HFCS sweetened products. Some juice drinks have significant amounts of sweetener added, and very little real juice involved. Check the ingredient list and go for the real stuff if you’re after sweet.

When you’re talking about your health, you have to pay attention to what you’re eating. Don’t let a name change fool you into thinking a product is new or better. You’re better off eating foods where it’s clear what they were made from, rather than processed into blandness, then sweetened to make them more appealing. The flavor variety of real foods is far more interesting.