Green Leaf Report

Atlanta I feel your pain, though North Texas didn’t get the 100 day warning last year after our two year drought.  But seriously– praying for rain?  I’m all for the power of prayer; let’s all pray that people can change their practices, respect the planet and all of creation.  But praying for a stop-gap solution while allowing the waste of natural resources to continue seems like a crime:

“Despite months of warnings, golf courses across the region have remained watered and lush. Only in September did Georgia ban outdoor water use. In October Mr Perdue declared “Take a Shorter Shower Month”, although in summer, a year after the drought began, prisoners were still getting two showers a day.

Last month Mr Perdue finally declared a state of emergency and asked the Bush Administration for federal help. But he has not asked companies to cut back on water use - in particular Coca-Cola, which has its headquarters in Atlanta and whose main ingredient is water. “

I’ve seen other articles complaining about the release of water from Atlanta main water source to support endangered mussels downstream.  The below text refers to a note US Congressman Nathan Deal of Georgia wrote to the Army Corp of Engineers:

“In his letter, Deal questioned why water was still being released from Lake Lanier to help endangered mussels in Florida. The Corps of Engineers said that is required by an endangered species act, and there is not much they can do about that.”

I’ve seen reference to this endangered mussel situation in multiple articles, and on first glance it seems ludicrous. But then, on second thought, why should Georgians all get artificially green lawns and imported flowers, while the downstream mussels die?  If extreme conservation methods aren’t working, let’s revisit the endangered species acts; but first let’s think about extreme conservation methods. 

Prayer isn’t the solution to the drought, and sacrificing endangered species isn’t the solution either.  Extreme and radical changes in behavior are necessary, though not as popular. Try them, even if you aren’t currently part of a drought, or if the rain does come and the drought is broken.  With our growing populations and dwindling resources, these crises will continue to happen.