Today, Darren and thousands of other bloggers are congregating in Las Vegas for Blog World. It’s fitting that Blog Action Day should coincide with the world’s largest blogging conference. Particularly this Blog Action Day, which focuses on water.
When we think about water issues, we don’t need to close our eyes and conjure up the African desert or the Australian outback: we need only think as far as Blog World, Las Vegas.
"Watershow", Las Vegas, by pgl
Las Vegas is a modern, developed city that’s built in a desert. As you might expect, it’s facing serious water problems. Like many communities around the world, Nevada’s currently experiencing a drought, and Las Vegas is struggling to source water from elsewhere in the state to meet the needs of both its rising permanent population and its booming tourism industry.
A tourism industry supported, in large part, by the thousands of conferences held in the city each year. Including Blog World.
Of course, we need a place to hold conferences, and Vegas is built for such events. But it is paradoxical that, while I’m blogging about water issues for Blog Action Day, thousands of bloggers are further stressing a perilously dry city’s water supply in the name of blogging.
It does remind us—whether we’re in Vegas enjoying Blog World or following it from afar—that we all have some responsibility for water availability and quality, and we need to accept that responsibility. These are global issues. They’re not restricted by national borders, coastlines, professions, or socio-economic boundaries.
The impacts of water-preservation efforts are also global. Whatever you can do to preserve water, and preserve water quality, will make a difference far beyond your own backyard. Whatever you can do to raise awareness will also have a valuable impact. Among developed nations, there’s a startling ignorance of water-related issues.
"Las Vegas" by chuckb
When I began researching this post, my search for vegas, nevada + water turned up more results for gross water consumers like water parks, water gardens, and water features than it did water authorities or articles on water issues. Nothing in that first page of results suggested there was any problem with water in Las Vegas—quite the contrary. Without information on the realities of water issues, communities have trouble recognizing the problem, let alone taking action on it.
It’s not just Vegas: there are water scarcity and quality issues in your town, your state, and your country. Perhaps today’s the day to think about what you can do to take action on those issues in your own way. As a blogger in a rural area that’s just experienced a debilitating, decade-long drought, I’m curious: what water issues are you and your local communities currently facing?
Darren..you are in a land where events are the main stream..I hope you have fun bro..maybe next year I can be there..
“TrafficColeman “Signing Off”
Darren, I agree with you on almost everything you post, I think in this case, that a meeting like this is fabulous. One way to see the world as the community of bloggers is more than a hobby .-
Have fun!
Wished I wasn’t thousands of miles away. Anyway .. best of luck to the people attending it. We’ll wait to hear how it all went.
As always great post!
I am working hard on my blog and this blog helps a ton!
I’m going to be honest: my community doesn’t face any water problems. But I do know that nearly 40,000 children die each week because they don’t have access to clean drinking water. While the water issue doesn’t affect me directly, I don’t think any child should have to die…especially from not having access to clean water. And that seriously disturbs me.
Hi Georgina,
Thank you for bringing this issue up. When traveling through over twenty countries I saw first hand water issues but I am blessed that where I live there are none.
One way I help people including my family and I reduce the damage being done to the earth’s water supply is encouraging people to choose organic food since organic farming does not pollute our water system like conventional chemical farming. I even created a blog to help people buy organic food inexpensively. If you wish to place this link so others can check it out that will be great.
http://buyorganicfoodinexpensively.com/
Thanks again for highlighting this serious issue.
David
Thanks for highlighting the issue of water Georgina.
Even here on the Canadian West Coast, with ample rain fall, we face issues of over consumption, clean water supply, the privatization of a natural resource, the sale of a common resource, the shipping of natural spring water offshore for bottled water etc.
You might want to connect with my friend Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega, PhD, who has researched waste water governance extensively. http://www.raulpacheco.org
I live in Las Vegas, and the water situation is dire. If you google “Lake Mead water level” you will find out that Lake Mead, the main water source for Las Vegas, is currently at 39% capacity. Watering restrictions are in place, as listed on the Southern Nevada Water Authority website. Also, most restaurants here do not automatically give out glasses of water to everyone without asking. It’s still free, but you need to ask for water if you want some. That seems to surprise most people.
Thanks for featuring this issue – it doesn’t only affect Las Vegas, but many, many communities around the world.
So the question is: What can we do as bloggers, at the very least, create awareness for water shortage issues??
Awesome that you are participating in Blog Action Day! People need to come together on this important issue! Here’s a link to my article about water.
The best part is that Water is taken to be the topic for Blog Action Day! Love it
[…] The Blog World Paradox: a Blog Action Day Case Study by ProBlogger […]
Thanks for spreading the word about Blog Action Day 2010, and the important topic of water. We posted a blog today about how providing clean water is changing lives in Africa.
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some interesting and important information from the links of the article.
As I was reading the comments here, I got more depressed. Sad to say so many people only skimmed this article.
Never even picking up it was about water, and not solely about a conference. Which, could help.
What can bloggers do to help? I think if only skimming an article and then leaving a comment that shows “that’s exactly what they did” Then the answer is, in the current format, not much.
That said, well done to the people that did read this article, and participated in blog action day.