Interview with Alexander Homami, An Aware Teen's Thoughts on Saving our Water

Question: What do you know about the world water crisis?
Answer: The planet is losing water. We use water on a daily basis and it is running out. People are polluting the water with trash so that it becomes unavailable.

Question: How do you think this problem affects your community?
Answer: We are in drought and our daily lives require that we have water. Once we use up all of our pure resources, there will be no other option left for any of us.

Question: What do you think are other people's views on this issue?
Answer: Though some people may not know about it, others are either actively volunteering in the community, making choices at home that are water efficient, or don't believe that the problem will effect them. Some day we will all be massively effected by this crisis.

Question: How do YOU specifically know this issue is a problem?
Answer: We are learning about it in school and I watched a video with my sister that had statistics about the amount of fresh water in lakes decreasing by up to 40% and how we've been using so much water that we've had to resort to using ground water.

Question: What actions have you taken to get this problem closer to being solved?
Answer: I've started taking shorter showers, I turn off the water while I'm brushing my teeth, and we have water-saving toilets at home. It doesn't seem like much, even to me, but I am convinced that it will make a big difference in the long run.

Interview with Dean Kubani, Sustainability Manager at the City of Santa Monica

Q: How do you think general water problems affect the community?
A: Water issues affect everyone in Santa Monica every day because there is less rain and therefore less water available for drinking, cleaning, etc., it impacts everybody in their daily lives. And because Santa Monica is a beach city, water pollution affects our local environment and economy.

Q: What do you think are other people's views on this issue?
A: I think a lot of people know about the drought now because it has got so much media coverage, however, I see people waisting water everyday. So I think that are aware of the drought but aren't concerned enough about it that they are changing their behavior to save a lot of water. I think people in Santa Monica are pretty concerned about water quality in the ocean and that has helped improve it over the past ten years.

Q: How do YOU specifically know this issue is a problem?
A: It is my job to know because to two of the main parts of my work are to find ways to use water more efficiently and to make sure Santa Monica Bay doesn't become more polluted. Because of that I spend a lot of time talking to researchers, reading scientific studies and attending conferences that focus on these problems and how to solve them.

The Fate of the World is at Your Fingertips

We may live in privileged counties, but not everything is as perfect as it seems. 

Ever year water accessibility and availability drops massively. National Geographic says Lake Meade will be empty by 2021. The average American household uses 400 gallons of water each day. 3.4 million people world-wide die each year from waterborne diseases. Fights for water have begun all over the world. Water wars will be our future. We are in crisis.

But we can make a difference. 

We can change our fate.

Reduce your water consumption.

Join in activist groups in your community.

Spread the word and save the world. 

These are real pictures. This is actually happening in certain parts of the world.

NEWater Initiative

         In Singapore, they have adapted a more reliant form of drinking water called NEWater. Everyone who drinks NEWater is drinking recycled sewage water, however it has been purified through reverse osmosis to the point where it is distilled water. In Singapore, they call the NEWater "used water" instead of "sewage water." Although the fact is that recycled water is cleaner than tap water, people across the United States still can't get over the idea of drinking used water. Singapore's approach to this human disgust factor is a way that American clean water activists should be trying out. NEWater features a family-friendly visitor center that shows adults and children how the water is purified and made usable. They share the process and environmental benefits behind the NEWater movement through power points, videos, games, and demonstrations.

For more information about Singapore's NEWater initiative, visit:
http://www.pub.gov.sg/water/newater/visitors/Pages/default.aspx

Trailer for "Last Call at the Oasis"