In my eco- sphere, every day is a Make it Greener kinda of day. Green your household and teach others to do the same.

First off, got a question for you; can you name the top 3 oil spill in U.S. waters? And which one officially launched Earth Day. Find the answers at my web link below.

Water Resources at Risk

I am concerned about the earth’s water supply growing dirtier, actually very filthy; and in areas in the U.S. water shortages are real.  Here in Denver, CO, we have a Stage 2 drought warning that took effect April 1. Bus signs, billboards, park benches advised in previous years a Use Only What You Need campaign; these days the new sign, This is a Drought, Use Even Less.

Dog Doo-Doo cleanup is about water quality. Keep the storm water sewers free of dog waste as storm drains do not connect to treatment facilities. Know this: Dog poop is not fertilizer; a yard with dog waste can be a danger-zone for kids and adults as harmful organisms can hang-out for a year or more. When poop on lawns, driveways and pavement mixes with storm water runoff, waterways suffer, as does the watershed. An example, 2 to 3 days of poop from a population of 100 dogs would contribute enough bacteria and nutrients to temporarily close a lake or inlet for swimming. See this Winchester, VA city brochure on dog waste and the streams and ponds that are a part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the largest estuary in the United States.

Join me; I am on a Protect your Watershed crusade; no matter where you live you are in a watershed! I say learn about yours, where is it, adopt it, keep it healthy, safeguard and restore it; in fact start-up your own community Watershed Cleanup Day. Remember, “What happens above a watershed stays in the watershed.” Tell others to do the same.

A paw’s worth of education; what is a watershed? It’s the area that drains to a shared waterway; maybe a stream or lake, estuary, wetland, aquifer, or the ocean. The EPA says “a watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes, they cross county, state, and national boundaries. In the continental US, there are 2,110 watersheds; including Hawaii Alaska, and Puerto Rico, there are 2,267 watersheds.”

Here comes a stark truth. You care about the earth and are taking “greener” actions or so you say. Look how other people are making giant steps backwards with rubbishes in the river. This CNN article was sent to me by a Doggone Green Crusader and pet partner near the Mississippi River; Meet Me at the River. Get involved? Check out the Living Lands & Waters website; meet Chad Pregracke who is making a difference at www.livinglandsandwaters.org

Cedar Dog, Happy Earth Day
Link in, sign up to help.
Get the answers about the beginning of earth day, and my eco-agenda.

Note: to those who wonder, yes I am a Chesapeake Bay retriever.