Atlanta's Water Crisis & You

Atlanta is running out of water in three months. I want to make sure that sinks in, so I’m going to say it again: Atlanta is running out of water in three months.

In case you’ve missed this news (and it’s been easy to miss), Georgia has declared a state of emergency. Only twenty inches of rain have fallen in Lake Lanier this year, and Georgia, Alabama and Florida are fighting over what’s left.

What does this have to do with our fine city on the shores of Lake Michigan? Thankfully, we sit beside the Great Lakes, home to 95% of North America’s fresh water. It looks like our wells will never run dry.

But the Prophet Muhammad said that even if a river flows by your door, that’s not reason to waste water.

You weren’t expecting me to quote Muhammad, were you? I work for Faith in Place. We help Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Bah’ais, Unitarians and Zoroastrians become good stewards of the earth. Since 1999, we’ve helped over 300 Illinois congregations conserve energy, switch to clean energy, and buy food from local farmers.

Last month, Georgia’s Governor Sonny Perdue organized an interfaith service to “pray up a storm.” I happen to believe in prayer and find myself doing it frequently, but I have to say Georgia needs a better plan that that. We can’t just rely on divine intervention, we’ve got to take action too.

As water becomes scarcer around the world and bottled by private corporations, people everywhere—including those of us in the land of plenty—need to protect the resource that is absolutely essential to human life.

The thing I love best about Chicago (and I love a whole lot about this city) is the lake to our east. After growing up in the New Mexico desert, I can’t stop marveling at the beauty and enormity of that lake.

Muhammad was right. Just because we have all this water outside our door, there’s no reason to waste it.

So Chicago, turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth and washing dishes. Buy an Energy Star washing machine. Get a rain barrel to catch rain for landscaping. Thank your legislators and Governor for ratifying the Great Lakes Compact. Go delight in that awesome, magnificent lake to our east. And while you’re at it, say a prayer for Atlanta.