Geography was a required class for those of us seeking a degree in education. I put off taking the course as long as possible. I had heard that the professor who taught the fundamentals of geography was a tyrant who never gave anyone an A. I finally registered with great dread and attended the first lecture with a negative attitude. Within five minutes I was mesmerized by the depth and breadth of knowledge that the woman had. Soon enough I was looking forward to the three hours each week when I would learn things about our earth and its people that I had never before known. She not only enlightened me but also demonstrated the interconnections of history, sociology, science and mathematics that affect our earth. Suddenly I understood the importance of focusing on our human dependence on this planet. 

Later I would learn how to teach geography if I were ever called upon to do so. The professor of that class would echo the methodologies of the geography teacher who had so enchanted me. He suggested that students needed to understand the human journey from place to place and the how’s and why’s that enticed them to settle in certain areas. He also stressed the importance of water throughout the history of humankind. Water, he said, was more valuable than any other resource on earth. Gold and oil are of little use if water is not available.

I was only tasked to teach geography a few times in my career. I tried to help my students make the connections that my professors had shown me. I wanted them to understand as I had that history has always been beholden to the resources of the earth and that water is the most important above all. I showed them how cities and towns across the globe began along the banks of rivers or next to oceans or lakes. When humans finally decided to settle down they needed water to grow their crops and quench their thirst. 

We have often been guilty of wasting or polluting our precious water sources. Even today the city of New Orleans is grappling with an invasion of sea water into the fresh water of the Mississippi River. Drought combined with over engineering of the great river has created the devastating situation. Pallets of water had to be brought into the city while efforts were made to halt the invasion of the sea. 

In some parts of the United States drought has caused wells to run dry, lakes to become holes in the ground. We have at times found lead in water sources as well as other cancerous materials. There are Native American reservations that still have no running water even in the modern era. 

We humans need water to stay alive. We must drink a certain amount each day to stay healthy. Our crops will not grow without water. We need water to keep our homes sanitary, to clean our clothes. This summer we have seen the need to conserve our most precious resource. Many of us are still subject to water restrictions and yet there are far too many among us who think of what is happening as mere irritations rather than signs from our earth that we need to become more aware of our individual impacts on the availability of water for everyone. 

We indeed must begin to view water as our most important resource. Just as we invest in stocks and bonds and precious metals, we should be investing time and money into saving water. We need to be as conscious of how we use this life giving resource as we are of saving income for the future. We can no longer afford to simply take water for granted. Already there are places in the world fighting over sources of water. Water has even been used as weapon of war. 

I spent much of the summer researching the history of the dust bowl in the southern great plains. It was human desecration of the native plants along with a years long dearth of rain that left people gasping for life. When dust storms raged, drifts of dirt blocked the doors of homes and seeped through the cracks in windows. The people suffered from dust pneumonia. The carcuses of their livestock were filled with soil that had blown off of the land. The people’s daily prayer was for rain that would fill their streams, ponds, lakes and wells that were as dry as bones. Many died and many had to leave in search of greener pastures kissed by showers from heaven. 

I now find myself taking great care with the water that comes into my home. I reuse dish water in my garden. I take tips from my daughter who catches water from her shower in containers whose precious content might then be used for other chores. My husband is studying how to harness water from our gutters when it rains. We can no longer afford to simply waste what we have. It would be to the benefit of everyone if we kept water restrictions in place to make certain that we do not wantonly throw away this precious resource. 

Conservation should become a habit, one that we do without complaint. It is an exercise for the future that will lead to better health for the planet. It’s well past time to protect our water. All of our money and possessions will be meaningless if there is no water. It’s up to us to keep it flowing and keep it clean.