It’s hard to imagine that although the Earth has vast amounts of water, less than 1 percent of the world’s fresh water is accessible for direct human use. This is the water found in lakes, rives, reservoirs and those underground sources that are shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. Only this amount is regularly renewed by rain and snowfall, and is therefore available on a sustainable basis. How should we manage this precious resource (an estimated .007 percent of all water on earth) in light of increasing scarcity and pollution? How is this resource being co-opted by the bottled water industry? Is our tap water safe or tainted with rocket fuel and pharmaceuticals?
Sierra Nevada College and the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center has been hosting a ‘World Water Issues Film Festival,’ to explore these probing questions. After showings on Sept. 30 and Oct. 14, the Fesival is screening one more final award-winning piece on Oct. 28. The festival concludes with presentations and panel discussion on Nov. 11, led by University of Nevada Reno’s Student Association for International Water Issues (SAIWI) to discuss what actions every person can take today to help solve some of these problems in real and lasting ways.
Wed., Oct. 28, 2009: Poisoned Waters
(PBS special; 115 minutes) 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences (Sierra Nevada College campus), rooms 139 & 141, Hosted by Michael Rosen, research hydrologist, USGS and Madonna Dunbar, Tahoe Water Suppliers Association
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Emmy Award-winning producer Hedrick Smith dives headfirst into the contamination of America’s great waterways, in particular Puget Sound and Chesapeake Bay. A new wave of pollution is killing fish, causing mutations in frogs, and threatening human health. Diffuse sources of pollution are introducing chemical compounds into our water, from urban runoff to poultry farm byproducts to pharmaceuticals. These chemicals are endocrine disruptors, affecting metabolism and reproductive systems in both humans and animals. Poisoned Waters forces viewers to take a closer look at the state of our ecosystems and drinking water.
Wed., Nov. 11, 2009: Student Association for International Water Issues Presentation and Panel Discussion.
6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences (Sierra Nevada College campus), rooms 139 & 141, Hosted by Heather Segale, UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center
The Student Association for International Water Issues, or SAIWI (pronounced ‘say-wee’) is a student organization at the University of Nevada, Reno, working to develop an understanding of global water issues and promote community empowerment through education and water resource development. This culminating event will include presentations by students and community members who have participated in water development projects around the world.
Info: Heather Segale, hmsegale@ucdavis.edu, 775-881-7562
