Human beings at one time looked up at the night sky and gazed upon the moon, and thought it impossible to ever visit our closest neighbor.  At one time man looked up at the sun and felt its energy on their skin, but never dreamed of harnessing that power. At one time men viewed our Milky-Way as the entirety of the universe, and saw our planet home as our permanent habitat. Many things once seemed impossible, yet have become reality or proven viable. Perhaps no other organization in human history has done more to change the landscape of science than The National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the United States of America, or as most of the world recognizes it, NASA. Following its founding during the last 1950’s, NASA was the world authority on science and the U.S. government invested heavily in the department. As a result scientific discovery and achievement was spearheaded by th United States. However, times have changed and in the modern day America spends a mere fraction of what it once did on science and NASA, and as a result America has begun to lose it’s authority in science, and the scientific community, the United States, and the world as a whole are hurt as a result. However, this is reversible and in an attempt to change the nation and the global community for the better, in the next fiscal year, The United States government should divert more of the federal budget to funding The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and it’s missions.

In the rest of this paper I will: 

1. Explain Nasa and what it has done

• • Founding/ great accomplishments
    • In the past the scientific advancements out of NASA have been invaluable:
      • Ear thermometers
      • Enriched baby foods
      • Artificial limbs
      • Anti icing for plantes
      • Freeze drying
      • Water purification
      • Solar energy
      • Cordless vacuums
  • I want to make it very clear for the start that NASA is not just space. I want to show the good they do for us on Earth everyday. This is key.

2) Highlight the potential of what they could do!

• • Highlight the importance of NASA for the Earth and not just space exploration
  • 27 missions around Earth dedicated to simply monitoring understanding our planet. This data is crucial for scientists to understand how the world is changing due to global warming and without it we would essentially be reacting blind

• • Talk about other current missions and projects and insinuate that
  • Speak on the budget
    • In the 1960’s during the space race and JFK’s presidency NASA’s budget peaked at 4.41% of US federal spending. Decreased since then to 0.46% of US spending. (stat from the guardian.com)
    • 

Image citation: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/exploration/multimedia/NASABudgetHistory.pdf

• • • Show correlation of what NASA did in the 60’s and 70’s with more money and pull that into what they could do with modern projects today if they still had that funding

3) I will counter the common counter argument that there are more important things to spend money on than NASA… problems now (taxes, poverty, etc) are more important and should be focused on more.

• • Explain that NASA will actually benefit use here and now
    • Neil Degrasse Tyson, president of the Hayden Planetarium was quoted ”“Innovation drives economy” and argues that investing in NASA for it’s an “investment not an expenditure” can help in part to fix the economy through innovation in industry.  
  • Mention back to NASA having 27 current missions specifically for watching this planet
  • Will show the benefits for the nation and the world that this investment would deliver

4) Conclusion

I want to ensure in this essay that I explain that investing in NASA could be an action that will help prepare for the future.  NASA is not just a group of super enthusiastic space nerds, but dedicated group of researchers who collect priceless data and strive for developments that help the Earth and issues we face today such as global warming.  NASA is not an expense, but an investment in science, in solutions, in innovation, and in our collective future as a species and planet.

A counter-argument for not increasing the funding for NASA is somewhat difficult to find. This issue is not climate change where there are people who stand in stark opposition to climate change, for the most part no one starkly opposed to NASA. There isn’t really a “anti-space/ anti-science” movement. With that in mind there is one main counter arguments that needs to be addressed. That argument is that there are enough problems in this nation right now, and that money could be better spent here on Earth than spent on reaching for the stars. This argument is understandable to me as humans have an innate drive to examine and try to fix the problems right in front of them at a particular moment. However, I disagree with the logic behind this argument and I will explain why.

Firstly, this argument appears based in the logic that NASA is an expense. I would argue that NASA is an investment. NASA does cutting edge research that has led to numerous innovations, many of which are integrated into everyday life. Furthermore, NASA’s work provides necessary information about or world, our universe, and how everything fits together. Without the data collected by NASA much of the science done on this planet would be seriously slowed.

Furthermore, why not reach for the stars? This argument makes it sound like striving to explore is a waste of time. I would postulate that there were human ancestors who argued that we should not spend time on agriculture when there’s so much to do hunter and gathering, or those who argued we shouldn’t spend time exploring the seas when there is so much work to do on land. Exploration is innate to humans, and in almost all instances of exploration things have been discovered that have benefited those back home. For instance, Columbus brought back crops that were integrated into the diets of most Europeans. Examining NASA itself, research for missions led to technology we know well today such as artificial limbs, cordless vacuums, and solar panels. History has shown us that if you reach for the unknown, one often finds things that change lives. Who knows what the next life changing technology will be, but I have a good bet NASA will play a role in finding it.

Finally, investing in NASA is not just an investment in space flight. No, NASA does an incredible amount of work for this planet and its inhabitants as well. Currently there are 27 NASA missions each dedicated solely to monitoring our planet. Some of them watch weather and monitor the ozone layer to understand climate change. Others scan the moisture content Earth’s soil, which can help predict flooding and educate farmers on how to plant intelligently to increase crop yield. NASA is not just focused on exploring the stars, but also studying our planet. Plus the data they collect is crucial for climate scientists to do their job, and can improve the lives of people across the world.

Yes, there are real issues that face our nation today, important issues. But funding NASA is not taking money away from those issues, rather it is investing in some of the best scientists on the planet whose work will push humanity further increasing our understanding of our universe and our Earth home. Chances are that work will end up bettering the everyday lives of normal citizens too, it has in the past.

Persuasive Essay Brainstorm

            Question of Value: Should the United States government spend more/invest more money in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Question of Policy: The United States government should allocate more of its budget to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

I’ll just say this off the bat, I’m a bit of a nerd. I love space. I love everything about it, but I have not given this topic serious consideration simply because funding NASA is something I want to happen to fulfil the wish of a space nerd. No, in my opinion funding NASA is the smart decision of our country.

It’s a simple fact that our generation (and even the last few generations) grew up in a world where America was viewed as a leader in the world, involved on the front lines of most issues and discoveries. It would be naive of me to ignore the fact that part of that global authority is due to our massive economy and somewhat large collection of flying, floating, and rolling guns. However, I feel part of the reason the world looked to us to lead is that America cared deeply about being on the front line of discovery. There was a reason we were the first to step on the moon, a reason we created the first nuclear bomb (regardless of if that was good or bad),

and a reason people across the world flocked to our universities because America valued science and desired deeply to be the world’s authority on it. However, recently this has changed. America no longer invests as heavily in science as it used to, and the results are being felt. Massive scientific discoveries are made in other nations, such as CERN in Genova, if one wants to go to space they no long come through the USA but through Russia or China. The USA has lost its leading authority in science and as a result some of its authority in the world, and reinvesting in NASA is one way to begin to bring that back.

Furthermore, contrary to popular belief NASA does more than just look at stars are dream of walking on Mars, they also do a plethora of things for this planet and the people living here. Countless technologies that are standards of normal life today were only brought about by work done at NASA: LED’s, Ear Thermometers, artificial limbs, anti-icing for planes, temper foam (memory foam), enriched baby food, cordless vacuums, freeze drying, water purification, solar energy, and food safety systems just to name a few. The work at NASA can benefit us all in our everyday lives, and the next life changing discovery could be just around the corner.

NASA also performs crucial research about our own planet. This is important because the simple fact is the Earth is changing, it’s getting hotter, and sooner than any of us would like to admit our changing world will be a global concern that cannot be ignored and may not be able to be reversed.  NASA plays an extremely valuable role in understanding and fighting this threat. There are currently at least 27 separate NASA missions dedicated to monitoring and understand our planet’s atmosphere, oceans, and many other factors. These missions provide invaluable information to scientists and innovators all across the world as they attempt to battle and slow the detrimental change to our planet. Without this information fro

m NASA missions our ability to understand and address global trends would be hugely diminished, and this is not just an American issue but a global issue. Finally, NASA can play a role in innovating to help fight climate change. Technology such as solar energy became possible thanks to NASA’s work; if we want to find solutions to the issues we will face in the future we need NASA’s resources investing their time.

            In my opinion NASA is one of the most valuable portions of our government and a section that should receive far more funding. Not only because scientific discovery is awesome, but because our world is facing the largest threat it ever has, and the work that can be done at NASA is critical. Investing in NASA will situate America back at the forefront of global scientific innovation, and lead the way in proactive solutions for the future.  

With our second look into a global water issue we will examine an issue closer to home than Cape Town, which we examined last week. The Cape Town situation is an instance of water shortage; this week let us dive into an instance of water contamination. I am of course alluding to the issues around water cleanliness in Flint, Michigan.

Map of the state of Michigan

Flint Michigan, the seat of Genesee county, lies roughly 60 miles northwest of Detroit in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Founded in 1819, Flint grew in direct correlation with the boom of the Michigan automotive industry, housing the single largest General Motors plant in the 1950’s, and only falling behind Detroit itself as America’s leader in automobile production. However, with the decline of the auto industry and the departure of multiple plants in the 80’s and 90’s, Flint’s economy and population have declined. Today, the cities population is estimated at just north of 102,000, with roughly 426,000 people residing in the metro area as a whole.

As mentioned before, Flint was pushed into a long standing economic recession following the downsizing of General Motors in the 1980’s, and in 2011 the state of Michigan seized control of Flint’s finances when a roughly 25 million dollar deficit was predicted by an audit. In an attempt to conserve long term water expenses, construction of a new pipeline from Lake Huron was implemented, and in 2014, to save money during the construction period, the city water source was switched from Detroit to the nearby Flint River.  

Soon after the switch residents begin to complain of discolored and strange tasting water, and two seperate water boil warning are placed on the city after fecal coliform bacteria appeared in water testing. Both bans were lifted after chlorine levels in the water supply were increased. However, complaints of bad water did not disappear, and in February 2015 a team from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found lead levels in the water supply at a home to be 104 parts per billion (ppb); for comparison, this is nearly seven times greater than the EPA limit of 15 ppb for potable water. A month later, another EPA team detected lead at 397ppb. A study done by the EPA found that in violation of federal law, Flint’s river water wasn’t treated with anti-corrosive agents, and as a result water pipes corroded allowing substances such as lead and iron to leach into the water supply.

This teaspoon of sugar contains 4,000mg of sugar; only 10mg of lead is needed to hurt a child.

But why is this a big deal? Lead has been an integral part of human society for millenia, why is this such as cause for alarm? The answer to the question is that lead is incredibly toxic! Lead has the ability to accumulate over time in the body, meaning low concentrations, over enough time, can be extremely dangerous. Children, infants, and fetuses are the most at risk, as doses of lead that adults could withstand can be life threatening for children. High lead concentrations in the blood have been linked to nervous system damage, stunted growth, learning disabilities, impaired hearing and reduced blood cell function. In fact, research has show that only 10mg of pure lead is necessary to cause the above detrimental effects in children. For comparison the teaspoon of sugar shown above contains upwards of 4,000mg.

A week after the EPA’s findings the city council voted to move the water source back to Detroit, but this was overturned on ground it would be too expensive. Months continue to pass, and in June 2015 scientists at Virginia Tech found lead levels at 13,200 ppb in homes (note that lead at 5,000 ppb is categorized as hazardous waste by the EPA), and calculated that 40% of Flint homes were being affected by high lead levels. In September of the same year, the EPA says it will help develop a plan to fix the cities corroding water lines. In October, a review by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) showed instances of children admitted to the hospital with elevated blood lead levels had doubled since the switch to river water. Within the same week, water lead levels were found to exceed federal standards at three separate Flint schools.

Thirteen days after the findings by the MDHHS, it is declared that Flint’s water will be switched back to Detroit as a source, and funds were given to do this by the state. This does not immediately stop the damage done to the pipes, and it was expected to take weeks possibly months for lines to completely flush. In December 2015, a state of emergency was declared in Flint, and the National Guard was mobilized to aid in bottled water distribution.

Since the state of emergency, the EPA has pledged 100 million dollars to fix and replace the lead and galvanized steel water lines in the city. Furthermore, the state of Michigan is required, by the order of a federal court, to replace the water lines of almost 18,000 homes by 2020. At at the time of writing, this is where Flint stands, in a state of recovery. Water lines are being replaced and studies are beginning to show long-term levels of water lead below the federal requirements.

Lead contaminated water

The crisis that was initially underappreciated and underestimated by the government, finally appears to finally be moving in the right direction. More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed against everyone from city officials to the State of Michigan, and some officials face criminal charges ranging from negligence to involuntary manslaughter.

As the water lines continue to be repaired, all one can do is hope that any damage done to the residents of Flint, especially the areas children is not severe and life changing.

Recently, a USA Today investigation found lead contamination in over 2,000 water systems across every state in the nation. Furthermore, the CDC estimates that nation wide over half-a-million children have elevated blood lead levels. Water lead contamination and all the severe health risks it causes for our children is not a Flint problem, but an American problem. A problem that is severely underestimated and often ignored by this nation’s governments. I only hope that we learn from the events of the past three years, so that there is never another Flint Michigan in this country.

Sources

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Flint.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 14 Mar. 2018, www.britannica.com/place/Flint-Michigan.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . “Lead.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Dec. 2017, www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/.

CNN Library . “Flint Water Crisis Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 9 Apr. 2018, www.cnn.com/2016/03/04/us/flint-water-crisis-fast-facts/index.html.

Environmental Protection Agency . “Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 23 Mar. 2018, www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water.

Young, Alison, and Mark Nichols. “Beyond Flint: Excessive Lead Levels Found in Almost 2,000 Water Systems across All 50 States.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 27 Mar. 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/11/nearly-2000-water-systems-fail-lead-tests/81220466/.

On Thursday, the first of March in the year of our lord 2018, I attended a deliberation titled “Happy Hour Valley- Thinking About Drinking.” The deliberation was built upon the idea that drinking in state college is a problem that has garnered national attention recently with the death of Timothy Piazza, and that drinking culture is a force with which the state college community must content. Discussion focused on steps that could be taken to alleviate some of the negative impacts that drinking and “party culture” have on the State College area.  The deliberation was well attended, so three small groups were created and each group discussed one approach at a time. So, for simplicity of recall, I will do the same.

An idea that seemed to appear in many deliberations, regardless of the topic, was the notion of improved education, and this deliberation was no exception. The theoretical idea here is that if the school invested more in educational programs that inform and highlight the dangers of alcohol consumption, and expand counseling for alcohol abusers that it may help dissuade individuals from drinking or aid those who are struggling with an addiction. My opinions aligned closely with those of my group when discussing this approach.

The common sentiment was that investing in more education about the dangers of alcohol would be misguided. First of all, these programs already exist and are mandatory for incoming students (it’s called SAFE and AWARE),

so there’s no reason to think that more of the same would affect change in any manner. In fact, is it not the definition of insanity to do the same thing over and over expecting different results. In addition, implementing more programs would be an extreme hassle for non-drinkers. However, this approach was not fully lost as the group did agree that increasing the amount of counseling available for kids struggling with alcohol is an idea with no conceivable down side, and should be implemented.  Education, although it sounds good in theory, was widely viewed as a waste of time by the students at this deliberation.

If students can’t be dissuaded to party by educational programs, perhaps harsher restrictions will do the trick; this was the logic behind the second approach. The proposal was to create more stringent policing of downtown drinking habits, adopting a “zero-tolerance” alcohol policy, and implementing significant taxes on alcohol sales.  This approach, I felt, was also not well received by the student forum. Firstly, it was thought students who struggle with alcohol addiction will most likely end up paying more fines and end up in more trouble with the university, possibly losing their place in the school. For the group, this scenario of offering punishment when help and rehabilitation was more necessary seemed likely to occur and was thusly irresponsible and unacceptable. We also felt that taxes would hurt state college businesses that sell alcohol. In the end, it boils down to this, punishments already exist, and tightening them would only end up putting more kids in the court system and potential ruining the future of good kids with potential, who just wanted to “have a good time”.

For me personally, the most intriguing approach was the approach centered around community because it had the most productive conversation and felt to me the most effective long-term solution. The approach is based on the theory that if students were encouraged to foster a sense of community with the regions that they live, perhaps alcohol related disturbance would go down. Consider a though experiment about firing employees: would it be easier to fire a “faceless” employee whom you have never spoken to or to fire an employee that you talk to often and have a relationship with? Of course, the latter is more difficult because once you put a face to someone, once you meet and foster a connection, no matter how small, that individual is no longer just a stranger to you, they are a person with a name, a family, and a life of their own. The result is that it’s harder to do a harsh thing to someone you have a connection with. If the state college community residents and students had more interaction perhaps a similar thing would occur. If students began to put faces to residents, and realize those new people they met live in the houses they walk past every day, perhaps they would be less likely to cause disturbances in the community. One idea tossed around that I couldn’t stop thinking about was to host block parties with fraternities or off campus housing residents and the immediately surrounding local residents.  This would give an opportunity for students to meet the people living around them in a fun setting and perhaps begin to give identities to their “faceless neighbors.”  The need for this kind of awareness of community residents was made apparent by the story of student attending the deliberation who grew up in state college.  He recalled three separate occasions when drunk students literally walked into his down town home and disrupted his families evening. The group was not naïve and did address potential draw backs to this approach such as needing a large number of stakeholders to participate for any meaningful impact to be felt. However, we felt that the downsides to this approach did not have the potential to further harm anyone as the previous two did, and as a result this approach was the clear favorite.

It would be difficult to recount this deliberation without mentioning perhaps the most interesting perspective of the group. In another micro group was a local state college police officer who had chosen to attend. I only had the chance to hear her speak in the large group conclusion, but her perspective was interesting being born and raised in State College, an alumnus, a current resident, and a police officer. Although I did not have the opportunity to hear her thoughts, it seemed to me that she related to the thought of students that I have outlined above, but also brought the opinions of the police and locals to the conversation in a way my student-only micro group could not.

This deliberation was extremely well run and efficiently done; I have nothing but praise for the organizers. In terms of the discussion, there was far less argument and disagreement than other deliberations (I’m looking at your political correctness). In fact, my micro-group came to a form of agreement: we felt that education would be ineffective, harsher restriction would do nothing but hurt young people, increased counseling should be offered, and that the approach concerning strengthening the student to resident relationship seemed the best was to alleviate the damage of “party culture.”  The overarching sentiment I took away from speaking with my peers is that drinking is something that students are going to do regardless, and harsh penalties and education will do nothing for they haven’t to this point. It was agreed the most plausible way to get real change is if the students themselves consciously decide not to harm the residents and or the community.

The deliberation I will be helping to host in the near future is “Bro, You Can(‘t) Say That: A Conversation on Regulating Political Correctness on College Campuses.”  

I encountered two articles recently that I felt related to the topic of political correctness that we are hoping to address in our deliberation. The first is titled Critical Questions: Political Correctness was published by Ishi Mori in the University of Michigan’s Michigan Daily. The article was published in the wake of President Trump referring to nations in Africa as “shithole” countries during a discussion on immigration. In this publication, Mori stresses that political correctness is about respecting other people, and “[enabling] civil discourse in an increasingly multicultural society.” It is not a tool to wield against opposing ideas simply because of the fact that they are opposing. She emphasises that we must be able to forgive honest mistakes without calling oppression, for as Mori puts it “it’s not only white people who ask me where I’m ‘actually’ from.” Political correctness is about understanding the power of your words and trying to give respect to everyone regardless of their race, gender, religion, or sexual identity.

I agree broadly with what Modi says in this article, and many of her ideas I hope are integrate into our deliberation. Her emphasis that at its core political correctness is about showing respect to everyone, not attempting to censor words because they are offensive (although those things may go hand in hand sometimes). I hope to emphasise this as the definition of political correctness, in an attempt to keep the deliberation from sliding down the slippery “censoring free speech slope.”

On that note of free speech, the second article, Political Correctness Continues To Beat Up On Free Speech, addresses the perceived connection between political correctness and free speech directly. This opinion article published in Forbes Magazine by George Leef, addresses a new rule passed by the American Bar Association that states lawyers must avoid statements that show “discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or socioeconomic status.” Leef argues that it is a lawyer’s job to represent his client to the best of his ability, and limiting the speech they can use to do this on the grounds of political correctness not only hinders the legal process, but violates the first amendment

Leef’s article illustrates something I hope to include in our deliberation, and something I hope to avoid. His discussion of political correctness and it’s “violation” of free speech is something, again, I hope to avoid! I fear if the deliberation begins to slide towards discussing free speech, then it will become a deliberation more about hate speech than political correctness. Remember from the first article that PC is simply watching your language as to respect everyone you interact with as a human being, not attempting to ban speech. The portion of the article I hope to include is the discussion of whether organizations should have the ability to put regulations like this on PC speech. That is afterall the topic of our deliberations (in a university setting), and perhaps I could work this Bar Association rule in as an example in our talk.  

In terms of my personal sentiments on Leff’s article… I disagree with him almost completely. His argument that banning speech that can be considered discriminatory could hurt a lawyer’s ability to do his job I find laughable. The court systems are a place of impartial discussion and examination of facts; any discrimination on race or sex or socioeconomic standing is plain and simple bias, and there is no place for bias in courts of the United States. Bias is unfair and unjust. No legal case should hinge on a lawyer using speech that could be thought of as discriminatory, they should only hinge on the facts of a situation. No lawyer need us offensive language to win a case, and if one does than perhaps they are simply not good at their job

Sources

Ishi Mori. “Critical Questions: Political Correctness.” The Michigan Daily, The Michigan Daily , 23 Jan. 2018, www.michigandaily.com/section/statement/critical-questions-political-correctness.

Leef, George. “Political Correctness Continues To Beat Up On Free Speech.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 19 Sept. 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/georgeleef/2016/09/19/political-correctness-continues-to-beat-up-on-free-speech/#3fa5bfed4ece.

For our first real examination of global water issues I want to examine possibly the most pressing instance of water shortage facing a major world city, that of Cape Town, South Africa. South Africa is a nation of three capital cities, one for each of it three government branches. Cape Town, which sits on the south western tip of the country, serves as the nation’s legislative capital. An estimated 4.4 million people live in Cape Town, or roughly 8% of the nations total population. Yet the “mother city” of South Africa faces a grave threat in the modern day, the water supply is quite literally running out.

The location of Cape Town’s six dams. Cape Town is situated in the lower left corner.

Cape town sits in a standard Mediterranean climate with dry summers and rainy winters. The city water supply comes in a large part from six dams situated in mountain regions close to the city. Dam water levels drop during the dry summer, and are resupplied by rainfall each year during the winter. The degree of the water shortage is apparent when examining the volume of water stored in the six dams in recent years. Simply look at the graph below that shows volume of stored water in the dams since 2013. The dips are rises that happen over the course of a year are visible, yet each winter when water levels replenish, the final replenished amount is lower each year.

Cape Town dam water volume since 2013

It is clear the water level is decreasing at an alarming rate, but why? The first factor is drought. With the increasing effects of climate change (increase of 1°C over last 100 years in Cape Town), precipitation patterns in the region are no longer the same as they once were when these dams were built. In fact, studies suggest another increase of 0.25°C in the next ten years could worsen the drought conditions by up to seven times. This phenomena is not difficult to grasp, rain comes less frequently during the rainy season and as a result there is less water, especially in a city whose main water source are dams fed by rainwater.

Cape town population (dotted line) and water treated per year (blue line). Note water treatment plateau while population climbs.

The recent droughts are not the only factor at play however. Running concurrently with the decrease in precipitation, Cape town has seen a significant increase in population. Since 1995, the population has grown by 79%, from 2.4 million to 4.4 million, and the growth is not at this point projected to slow drastically in the near future (this could of course change based of the lowering water levels). In that same time period since 1995, dam water storage has only increased 15%, a far lower number compared to the growth of the population. As the population has grown, annual water consumption increased as would be expected, and a logical issue began to fester. More people are moving into the city and drinking more water, yet the water supply is not growing at a comparable level. All that would be required is a year or two of bad rain fall and the entire city would be in deep trouble.

This is exactly what happened in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2004. Rainfall was drastically decreased, and as a result the city was forced to implement water restrictions to avoid running the reservoir dry.

Following those restrictions the rains did return, but the population continued to grow. In 2015, the above mentioned drought began, and by winter 2017 was declared the worst drought in a century. Combined with the even larger modern population, water appeared in short supply again and restriction were reinstated. In September of last year most outdoor and non-essential use of water was banned, and grey water was recommended for the bathroom. On the first of this year, 2018, water was further limited to 50 liters (13.2 gallons) per person per day.

A recent photo of the decreased water level in one of Cape Town’s six dams

In 2015 as the drought began to rear its ugly head, the city government drew up plans for “Day Zero.” Day Zero is the point at which municipal water supply will largely be shut off. The initial prediction for this point was April 2018; however, the water saving restriction put in place have pushed that estimate back to some point in 2019. Day Zero will be declared when the dams reach 13.5% percent capacity, and then the strictest level of restrictions will be put into place, simply called “Level 7.” At this point municipal water supply will mostly be turned off and citizens will be able to collect a ration of 25 liters a day from 149 water collection points facilitated by the South African Police force.

The combination of increased population and severe drought are the main causes for the current Cape Town water crisis. The shortage continues at this point, and the city sits in a state of limbo. Much hinges on if the 2018 wet season will in fact be wet, or if the drought will continue. If the latter occurs than Day Zero may become a reality, and Cape Town may be the first major modern city to effectively run out of water.

A picture from the Grand Canyon trip (the cactus I sat on is right behind the rock I’m sitting on).

My family is made up of outdoorsmen, and women. Being raised a Wilson, is in essence being raised a boy scout. Family vacations usually involve more walking up mountain sides with 60 pound backpacks than reclining in beach chairs armed with mimosas. From the trips I went on as a child I can safely say I don’t know how to ride a subway, and I’ve never set foot on a boardwalk, but I’ve straddled the edge of the world’s largest ice field and I can pitch a tent with my eyes closed and a hand tied behind my back.

Knowing all this, it wasn’t very surprising when just after my tenth birthday my father hatched the idea of hiking the Grand Canyon. It was an easy two-day trip, nothing out of the ordinary: hike to the bottom on day one, camp overnight, and hike back out day two. Late that summer we set out; everything went smoothly the first day, minus a short incident involving my rear end and an overly friendly cactus… but I’ll spare you the detail on that one.

We pitched our tent that night on a cliff top overlooking the raging Colorado River. Our cliff jutted out from the canyon ridge we had been following for the last few miles, a little bit like pride rock in The Lion King if you’re a Disney aficionado.

The camp site was quiet that night (PAUSE) not a soul but my parents and I.

It was probably 3AM when I decided our two-person backpacking tent was not at all comfortable with 3 bodies, so I stepped out to stretch my legs. Apparently, my dad was also finding comfort impossible because he joined me outside. So, there we stood beside our little orange tent, (PAUSE) far ahead of us I could see the towering southern wall of the canyon, and on the wall, little flickering white lights like fireflies: the headlamps of hikers starting their days walk. The sliding of our boots in the red Arizona clay and the roar of the mighty river far below the cliff edge were the only sounds to break the silence of that morning. (PAUSE)

But, it was what I saw next that would change my life… Exploding in the night sky above us were the most magnificent stars I had ever seen. Stars so numerous one could have counted for hours and barely swivel their head. No moon shone that night and yet I could see perfectly, the stars illuminated the night with the brightness of an eternal late evening dusk. It was impossible to focus on just one, for as soon as you did it was lost again, drowned out my its thousands of neighbors. And there was more, overlaying the individual lights of the stars billions of miles away, I could see the swirling gas clouds of our Milky Way galaxy itself. Purple and orange and blue were swirled together stretched out across the horizon like a jet stream that covered half the sky.

It’s something I have yet to see again; my own real-life screen saver.

In the near decade since that night, I have come to this, my favorite memory many times. I’ve tried to recall and retell the story but never once, including this retelling, have I ever come close to finding the words to describe the majesty of that Arizona sky.

I sat on that canyon cliff for close to an hour, long after my dad returned to our claustrophobic North Face. I lay in the dirt just staring up. I found myself thinking about the Navajo children who have played under these same canyon stars for thousands of years. I thought of the bighorn sheep, and the bats, and the mountain lions, and the elk, and the rabbits of the canyon who have gazed upon those stars for millennia. And I imagined the similar amazement felt by the European explorers of the 1500’s when they first laid eyes on this sky. It was a beauty that had existed long before I was born and one that will exist long after I’m gone.

I felt as if I was being granted a rare gift to look upon that sight. A gift so few have been given outside of a google image search. It was a place not easy to reach, but in a way that made it all the more worth it. (Pause)

I’m not exaggerating for effect when I say those stars changed my life. They inspired me to keep exploring, to travel, to keep searching for the places not easily found, and to find the natural gifts hidden there. There’s a reason I own more pairs of hiking boots than sneakers.

I believe in exploring the outdoors. I believe in the beauty of places untouched by the modern world.  I believe these places of natural wonder should be preserved so that as many people as possible for generations to come have a chance to receive a similar gift to what I did that summer night I was when I was 10.  If everyone, just one time experienced a beautiful natural sight that went beyond the grasp of their words or their photographs, maybe… just maybe it would change the way we value our planet, and that I know would truly change the world.

Warning, this could be somewhat of a ramble towards the end and repetitive. I hope the idea I’m going for is somewhat there, I can speak to anyone in person if they want any clarification. 
Anyone that knows my family knows it is made up of outdoorsmen, and women. Being raised a Wilson, is in some ways being raised a boy scout. My family vacations usually involve more walking up mountain sides with 60 pound backpacks than reclining on beaches armed with a mimosas. From the vacations I went on as a child, I can safely say I don’t know how to ride the subway and I’ve never set foot on a boardwalk, but I can pitch a tent in a minute flat and open bear proof containers with my eyes closed and a hand tied behind my back.

Knowing all of this, it wasn’t very surprising when just after my 10th birthday my father hatched the idea of hiking the Grand Canyon. It was an easy two-day trip, nothing out of the ordinary: hike to the bottom on day one, camp overnight, and hike back out the next day. Everything went according to plan, minus a short incident involving my rear end and an overly friendly cactus, but I’ll spare you the detail on that one.  We pitched our tent to end that first night on a cliff top overlooking the rushing Colorado River 300 feet below. The cliff jutted out from the canyon ridge we have been following for the last few miles. The camp site was quiet, no one but us.

It was probably around 3AM when I decided our two-person backpacking tent was not at all comfortable with 3 bodies, so I stepped out to stretch my legs. Apparently, my dad was also finding comfort impossible and he joined me outside. So, there we stood beside our little orange tent, ahead of us I could see the towering southern wall of the canyon, and on the wall I could see little flickering white lights, the headlamps of hikers starting their days walk. The only sounds surrounding us were the sliding of our boots in the red Arizona clay and roar of the mighty river far below the cliffs edge.

But, it was what I saw next that would change my life… Exploding in the night sky were the most magnificent stars I had ever seen. Stars so numerous one could have counted for hours and barely swivel their head. There was no moon that night and yet I could still see perfectly, the stars illuminated the night with the brightness of an eternal late evening dusk.  However, more than the bright individual lights of stars billions of miles away, I could see the swirling gas clouds of the Milky Way galaxy. Purple and orange and blue were swirled together stretched out across the sky like a jet stream that covered half the sky. It’s something I have yet to ever see again, it was my own real-life screen saver.

In the decade since that night, I have come to this, my most beautiful memory often. I’ve tried to recall and retell the story but never once, including this retelling, have I ever come close to finding the words to describe the majesty of that Arizona night sky.

I sat on that canyon cliff for close to an hour, long after my father returned to the tiny tent.  I laid n the dirt just staring up. I thought about the Navajo Native America children who have stared at and played under these same canyon stars from cliffs such as mine for thousands of years. I thought of bighorn sheep, and the bats, and the mountain lions, and the elk, and the rabbits of the canyon who have gazed upon those stars for millennia. I imagined the similar amazement felt by the European explorers of the 1500’s when they first laid eyes on the beauty of the Arizona sky.

I felt as if I was being granted a rare gift to look upon that sight. A gift so few have been given outside of a google image search. (and no image, including the one atop this blog does it justice) It was a place one could not reach by car. It was a beauty that existed long before I was born and one that will exist long after I am nothing but bones and dust. Those stars changed my life, they inspired me to keep exploring, to keep searching for the beauty in places not easily found, and to find the gifts hidden there.

I believe in exploring the outdoors.

I believe in the outdoors, the beauty of places untouched by the modern world.  I believe these places of natural beauty should be preserved so that as many people as possible for generations to come have a chance to experience the beauty I did that summer night I was when I was 10.  If everyone just one time experienced a beautiful natural sight that goes beyond the grasp of words or photographs, maybe… just maybe it would change the way we value our planet, and that I believe would change the world.

There was a time this year, it feels an eon ago, when I stood in front of this very classroom and asserted to you all that water was the single most important thing in each of our lives. I remain a firm believer in that idea. One could say I’m extremely passionate about water. In high school, I was involved in organizing two different Walks for Water benefiting the Thirst Project non-profit who battle the water crisis in Africa. Working with that organization showed me the importance of water access and how many facets of everyday life are intertwined with that access.

In short that’s what this blog will be all about: issues all across the world that relate to water; and furthermore, how those issue extend past just our human need for water to live, and affect other areas of life.

In an attempt to specialize a little, I will narrow the window of exploration from all things water to the theme of water shortage and lack of water access. We’ll look at water shortages and how they affect a region’s people in our own nation and across the world.

How is daily life changed when water is in short supply? How are regions handicapped by lack of access to water? Why are some experts saying the largest issue of our generation will be water?  I will attempt to answer all of those questions in this blog, and if you want to find out the answer, stick around with me “the water guy”… or maybe “aqua man” I’m still tossing around names.

Although blurry: yellow regions have economic water scarcity, red have physical water scarcity, and blue have little water scarcity