Western New York sits on the edge of the Great Lakes and 20% of the world's fresh water.
Today is a special day in the Blog World — it is Blog Action Day. This is the third time I have participated in this Blog event. And this is probably the hardest one for me. Perhaps it was easier when I didn’t know how great some of the posts across the world will be and my desire to effect positive change. Perhaps it is the topic that I cannot connect to easily. Or so I thought, until I went to a session by the League of Woman Voters on October 7th. The session was:
Referendum on the Waterfront:Alternatives for Change, presented by The League of Women Voters Buffalo Niagara, in association with Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER and The Campaign for Greater Buffalo History, Architecture & Culture featuring a lecture by Julie Barrett O’Neill “Putting the Water Back in the Waterfront”
Read Also:
2008 – Blog Action Day: Poverty in Niagara Falls
2007 – Blog Action Day: Celebration Florida
What is Blog Action Day?
Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. One day. One issue. Thousands of voices.
Global Warming and Western New York
Earlier this year, there was a Global Warming Conference in Buffalo NY, at that time we really didn’t see evidence of Global Warming as we were experiencing record cold weather in February. In fact many Western New Yorkers could say we have had a very cold summer too… So it is hard for many to relate to the fact that the polar ice caps are melting and seriously impacting the fresh water available in the world.
One of the biggest environmental concerns today is Fresh Water. Living in Western New York we sit on the edge of the Great Lakes and 20% of the World’s source of Fresh Water. There are areas across the country that are experiencing severe water shortages of fresh water, we are surrounded by it here in Western New York. As time goes by the problems will only compound if we do nothing to change the situation.
Locally in Western New York Making Changes
Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper
Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper is an organization that is making a difference with regards to fresh water. Their mission is simple:
Everyone has the RIGHT to clean water.
Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper is a not-for-profit organization that uses legal, scientific, and policy tools to defend the Niagara river region, ensuring clean water, healthy environments, and access to those waters, for life and play.
We are a community based organization, founded by a group of concerned citizens in the 1980s. Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper is a proud member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, an international organization mobilizing local and regional chapters as well as thousands of citizens.
Campaign for Greater Buffalo
If it is broken, fix it. Shouldn’t we do everything we can to fix the problems that we are facing today? It is a great idea, only time will tell if it will happen in Western New York.
Now that you know — What are you going to do?
How can you make a positive impact on the Freshwater in Western New York? There are so many things that you can do to improve water quality. You can start by reducing the amount of runoff water your home produces buy planting a rain garden or installing a water barrel. Simple steps to improving the water quality and conserve water.
Read Also: How you can improve water quality in your backyard
Additional Resources:
- Great Lakes United
- The ONE DROP Foundation
- Parks & Trails New York
- Great Lakes Wiki
- Re-energize Buffalo
- Gen Green Life
- Niagara Restoration
- The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
- Clean Energy Now!
- PlanetHazard
- American Society of Landscape Architects blog “The Dirt”
