I don't know whether this has been discussed much, but how can USMS support "going green," promoting and/or being supportive of being environmentally responsible for clean water to swim in as well as to drink?
Open Water swims, of course, are the perfect venues to remind us all to keep our waters clean for swimming. The Boston swim focuses on this; do other Open Water swims promote cleaner water? What do they do?
Can pool Masters swimmers, clubs, LMSCs promote being "greener"? Encouraging people to take shorter showers is one way. What are other ways?
I think it is a fine idea and good opportunity for USMS to promote this particular aspect of the environment. By the way, all the Great Lakes are down several inches, except for Lake Superior (where, at the moment, we don't have Open Water swims...but who knows, in the future???).
Jennifer Parks, Michigan Masters
Jennifer, et al,
Or water conservation?
Rain Barrels
Why not start making deposits in your own water bank? It's one investment that makes total sense.
Skip
Great idea! In a wilderness area where I hike, there is a rain barrel that's been there forever. Hikers fill up and drink after treating.
Thanks for the info.
Jennifer, I hope I haven't discouraged you. Sometimes all it takes is one person to get the ball rolling. Did anyone ever discover the source of E. coli in your swim area?
Regards, VB
I think you will find ecoli in most water that is tested. Thanks to chlorine it is not a major problem.
Yes, I'm not surprised. Once had E coli -- or something very like it -- that I picked up from hospital floor. It wasn't as terrible as they make it out to be. Couple of days of discomfort; the organism attacks the gut lining, so you bleed a bit, then it's over.
The OP mentioned something that concerned her and led her thinking along a "clean water" path.
Regards, VB
Oil $117 a barrell today. What about tomorrow???
It is easy to stop this.
1. Walk instead of drive for short trips.
2. Ride a bicyle instead of drive.
3. Don't buy gas.
Hi -
Those are all good things to do, but I don't think high oil prices can be stopped. There is a large consensus that we are at peak oil right now (meaning we are about to start on the downslope of using up the world's nonrenewable supply, remaining oil becoming increasingly costly to get, whatever) or peak oil is right around the corner. I do expect some ups and downs - gosh, oil could creep down to $89 a barrel - but I expect increasingly costlier oil as both a long- and short-term trend.
And there are ever more of us driving cars, using refrigerators, flying planes, throwing out plastic bags.
Regards, VB
Just to add a note: I was out taking a beach walk along southern Lake Michigan this morning and talking with geezers about water levels over past 25 years. I remember when the lake was ca. 5 feet higher and the now exposed sandy beach was a sandy bottom underwater. The lake is used for domestic water, and the enormous growth around Chicago, especially in the southern suburbs, has created a demand that has lowered lake levels permanently. (They say.)
Oil $117 a barrell today. What about tomorrow???
It is easy to stop this.
1. Walk instead of drive for short trips.
2. Ride a bicyle instead of drive.
3. Don't buy gas.
Oil $117 a barrell today. What about tomorrow???
Part of the problem here is the weak dollar. If you adjust this to account for the crappy exchange rate, the price would be high, but wouldn't look so bad.
Things have a way of working out...global warming is melting glaciers giving us more water to desalinate and use for drinking, irrigation, etc.
Save those barrels for crude oil.
I had a conversation about this with someone who sells desalination units in the middle east for General Electric. The problem is that it is very expenisve to do this, and more to the point you need to use energy to desalinate water. When water shortages become a real problem there are no cheap solutions.
I had a conversation about this with someone who sells desalination units in the middle east for General Electric. The problem is that it is very expenisve to do this, and more to the point you need to use energy to desalinate water. When water shortages become a real problem there are no cheap solutions.
Very true. The reality is that we need water to survive, so no matter what the cost, the problem must be solved.
When you attend meets do you buy bottled water?
If so, are recycling receptacles usually offered?
I would venture to say No.
99% of swim meets that I have attended as either a spectator or as a volunteer,
recycling for the hundreds/thousands of plastic bottles is non existing.
I find myself often being the only one who is walking around the pool deck,
collecting what remains, knowing full well that most have already gone in the trash.
This is not an issue with the bottles themselves, but with offering the means to separate so they can at least be recycled.
If you are in any way involved with organizing swimming events consider this small change in behavior.
Encourage your co swimmers or AG kids to use re-usable bottles, ask your pool,
gym or YMCA to offer recycling bins throughout the facility.
