Lori Davison, The Groundwater Foundation
On March 17, people around the world will be celebrating the
Irish holiday—St. Patrick’s Day. This holiday originated in the early 17th
century and includes wearing green and participating in parades and festivals.
Many traditions have been started across the United States
over the years. One of these is
Chicago’s annual dyeing of the Chicago River green. The practice started in 1962, when city
pollution-control workers used dyes to trace illegal sewage discharges and
realized that the green dye might provide a unique way to celebrate the
holiday. That year, they released 100
pounds of green vegetable dye into the river—enough to keep it green for a
week! Today, in order to minimize
environmental damage, only 40 pounds of dye are used, and the river turns green
for several hours.
The
Groundwater Foundation is also into “green”. Each year it recognizes properly managed turf
sites for their groundwater stewardship through its Groundwater Guardian Green
Sites program. The program encourages managers of green spaces (golf courses,
ball fields, education campuses, parks, etc.) to implement, measure, and
document their groundwater-friendly practices related to chemical use, water
use, pollution prevention, water quality, and environmental stewardship. You can check out how you can become involved
in groundwater protection on the Groundwater Foundation website www.groundwater.org.
On March
17 put on your green and become an active participant in protecting groundwater!
