In 1992 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution making March 22 World Water Day; This year’s theme is “Copying with Scarcity”. When thinking about water, a number of complex issues need to be address, including cultural norms, lifestyle, ethnicity, race, and socio-economic level, just to name a few. Water scarcity is a huge issue not only because natural reserves are being depleted, but also because potable water is increasingly being privatized. This has lead to violent confrontations in several cases, the most notable being Bolivia.

This water imbalance in the world has created a movement wanting to address the situation. Water Partners International is part of this effort, trying to provide clean drinking water to communities throughout the developing world. Another one is International Water Management Institute, a non-profit scientific research organization trying to promote sustainable water and land use. There is also the World Water Council, which tries to promote awareness and build political commitment to address water issues at all levels. The International Water Association try to address water concerns both through research and practice.

Although this is just a symbolic drop in the bucket, you can send an e-card and remind others of this important day.

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I’ve wanted a bee colony for years, maybe even decades, but for years I haven’t lived in a place where I could have one. I’m just fascinated by the work bees do, their complex communities and sophisticated ability to communicate. Sadly the USA seems to be having a case of disappearing bees; even Hilary Clinton seems concerned about the missing bees.

Bee farmers throughout the country are opening their bee hives to find them empty. Speculation suggests that the rampant use of pesticides in this country’s agro-business could be the source of the problem, but no one seems to know for sure. We’ll see how bad the situation gets when produce prices begin to rise due to lack of pollination.

To read the full article look here.

- This post is for my brother, the “bug” lover in the family -

03.18.07 – I just found an entire blog dedicated to urban bees, take a look!

04.14.07 – It seems like Europe is being affected by this problem as well. Read about it here.

09.10.07 -

While bees seem to be disappearing all over the world scientist trying to preserve elephants are finding new ways of encouraging people to keep bees. It appears that elephants are frighten of bees, and that keeping bee hives can both discourage elephants from destroying farmer’s crops, while simultaneously producing honey for local consumption or sale. The only problem is that these are African bees that are known for being aggressive and dangerous. You can read more about this in an article by the BBC.

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