In 2013 I will...

Written by Jamie Kelley, Program Manager, The Groundwater Foundation

What do New Year’s resolutions and groundwater protection have in common?

 

Whether you want to eat more fruits and vegetables this year or increase what others are doing to protect groundwater, you are talking about the same thing, behavior change.

 

The smart folks at Stanford University ‘s Persuasive Tech Lab say that changing behavior is not too difficult and have pointed out a list of things we might be doing wrong when it comes to changing our habits.

 

Have you been successful at changing a habit or creating behavior change in a group or community? Leave a comment to tell us about it!

I Have a Dream....

By Lori Davison, The Groundwater Foundation
 

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream on August 28, 1963 when he gave his famous speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial calling for freedom and equality for all people.  On Monday, January 21^st we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and his life. 

What is your dream?  Does it involve tangible things like family, job, or money?  Or does your dream include making sure we have an ample supply of clean groundwater for our generation and future generations to come?  Dr. King was quoted saying, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

Don’t just dream---rise above and make your dream a reality like Martin Luther King, Jr. did.  Take action for our most precious resource, groundwater!

Are We Missing the Boat?

By Cindy Kreifels, Executive Vice President

Let’s say for the sake of argument that the Noah’s Ark story happened the way it has been written it happened.  You know, the whole Noah built the ark and the animals came two by two to board the ark and be saved from the massive flood waters that would have otherwise wiped their species out.  What if, on that day, the day we were to board the boat, we forgot, didn’t have the time, had better things to do than show up, then what?

Today is the day we need to show up, make the time, and remember to protect groundwater and all of our water resources.  After all, if we don’t, who will?  We need to take action before it’s too late.  Water is a vital resource to all life.  It needs to be protected each and every day through every generation. 

Make it a priority!  Show up!  Make the time! 

Happy New Groundwater Year!

By Brian Reetz, Program Coordinator

Welcome to 2013!

Those that know me well know that I’m an eternal optimist at heart. When it was announced that our home state Nebraska Cornhuskers were pitted to play the Georgia Bulldogs in the Capital One Bowl most people had negative thoughts about a big loss by the Husker football team. Not me. I thought we matched up well with them and figured that it would be a good game. And it was!

So for a person like me, a New Year is always filled with happy thoughts for an optimistic year. When I read this article (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/31/drought-likely-to-continu_n_2388085.html) this morning that put a bit of a damper on it though with the headline – Drought Likely to Worsen in 2013.

This article talked about the possible problems as well when it said, “(University of Nebraska-Lincoln) Drought (Mitigation) center director Michael Hayes said there is anecdotal evidence that groundwater levels have already been declining in parts of the state (of Nebraska). If conditions remain dry in 2013, it could create widespread problems for well owners in the state, so well owners are being encouraged to have someone check water levels, especially for those dug before 1993.”

In a recent trip to western Kansas, I heard about the tough time that well owners were having as the water supply worsened. So take action yourself in an optimistic and pro-active way! Go out and purchase a low-flow shower head to help conserve water every time you shower. Check for water leaks around your house to make sure you aren’t wasting an ounce of water. Become a member of The Groundwater Foundation (http://www.groundwater.org/shop/products.asp?cat=18) , can’t think of a more pro-active way than that!

And oh yes, Happy New Year’s!