Local Living, Global Awareness - Wondering About Water

Photo credit: Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images

 A couple of days ago I was taking an exceptionally long and hot shower, when it hit me.  I had absolutely no idea where my water came from!  I didn't know whether it was from some underground cave that was on the verge of collapse, a river diverted from another state, a lake, a stream, some kind of science-fiction machine that distills water from the air?

So I started doing some searching.

It was relatively easy to find: the Inland Empire in Southern California receives most of its water from three main sources.  The first source is a 444-mile-long aqueduct that consists of 22 dams and reservoirs, and a pumping plant that brings water from the Oroville Dam up in Oroville, CA, all the way down to Lake Perris in Riverside, CA.  This huge aqueduct brings water to millions in Southern California and traverses mountains and large swaths of land in order to do so.  As I understand it, the bulk of water delivered to Southern California residents comes from this State Water Project.

The state of California also generally receives around 30% of its water from Groundwater sources, though due to the recent severe droughts experienced by the state that number has nearly doubled.  These groundwater sources are found at the water table, and coalesce into aquifers underground.

The final major source of water for where I live is, of course, local water sources like streams and reservoirs.  I found this one out first hand after an algae bloom in Silverwood Lake changed the taste and odor of our water supply to an earthy, dirty flavor (yuck!) very recently, alerting many including myself to wonder what was going on with the water and whether it was safe to drink.

Our local Cucamonga Valley Water District officials assured us, however, that despite the rather unsettling aroma, the water was perfectly fine.

Given that globally - as our species continues to propagate - resources have been increasingly stretched thin and disputes over water rights are already an issue regionally, and that at the local level for us Californians water is already a grave concern as our rainy season (and possibly our future status as a major source of agricultural products) is drying up, it is more important than ever to be aware of our resources, where they are coming from and to whom they are going.

I for one will be doing what I can to conserve.  To learn more about water recycling and grey water (waste water).  To be aware of how much water I use vs. how much water I actually need to use.  To sum up in a rather corny way, they say "if you don't use it, you lose it," which may be true.

But it is also very important to remember that we "never miss a good thing 'til it's gone."



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 Click here for more info on the California Drought! :)

All the world is made up of local communities.  One small community now has the capability to affect or to be affected by those thousands of miles away.  This immense influence comes with this responsibility: to know those we affect and to do what we can to do right by them.

Compassionate Communication Breeds Change

To Change A Society, Change How It Communicates!

 
In the United States' political sphere, everyone seems to be so preoccupied with being right.  Granted, this is probably nothing new, as humans can be so extraordinarily stubborn and prideful (and defensive) about whether they are right or wrong (whether they are actually right or wrong).

While I think it's understandable and at times necessary for conversations to gravitate toward this focus, I think it is also extremely important that it not be the main focus; case in point: the politically polarized climate in the United States.  Extremely vocal left, extremely vocal right.

Not much going on with the moderates.

People have raised their voices loudly for their own values, but have in all honesty tended toward a 'preaching to the choir' mode of communication that does little to positively impact the opponents of their values.  Pro-Choice/Pro-Abortion vs. Pro-Life/Anti-Abortion; Evolution vs. "Intelligent" Design; Gay Marriage vs. "Traditional" Marriage... the list obviously goes on, and I could rattle on many more clearly polarizing social issues, but clearly in all of these arguments one finds that there is no clear conversation on what is to be gained from these conversations.  What is the problem we are trying to seek a resolution to?  What are the fears and desires behind the stances each speaker has taken?  How are we to address them and move forward?

Simply put, I do not believe these conversations are productive at all.  How could they be though, when it devolves into which Libtard/Rethuglican said what, and who is a baby killer, and who is a backward blah blah blah...

Our society has forgotten the art of productive communication, and it is something I lament.

I believe that if we were all to learn the art of debate as part of our Language Arts curriculum in school, to spot logical fallacies, insufficient evidence, and the like, and if we were to allow ourselves to debate EVERYTHING, the truth - that is, those arguments which are solid and well-supported - will be revealed.  Of course.. this would only work if people were more interested in solving problems than stroking their own egos while sitting atop their high, beautifully maned horses, whilst riding off into the sunset, spurred on by all the people they left coughing in the dust behind them..

I digress.

Source: loving-community.com/tag/compassionate-listening

What is needed is a society that respects facts, respects questioning, and respects that those in power or those arguments which - if implemented in reality - would have great influence over the lives of others should be questioned.  What is needed is a culture which supports those who are willing to lay aside their own egos and admit when they are wrong, or to admit that - in the case of religion or other faith-based ideologies especially - that while a lack of evidence is not an impediment to their own beliefs, faith should not be expected to hold merit to others as worthy support for an argument.  What is needed is a society of individuals who are willing to look beyond their own limited grasp of reality in order to see the faults in the system they live within, in order to see who is negatively impacted by that system and to ameliorate the society's institutions to correct for those negative externalities.

Self-reflection, compassion, critical thinking, curiosity, and action.  If we are to end this polarization, this dry spell of thoughtful communication.  These are the tools we need to implement, and sooner than later please.

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Changing  the world one thought at a time...

In The News: ISIS, Regional Instability, and U.S. War Weariness

What's Going On?

 In recent weeks, a militant group called ISIS - or the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Syria)" - has conducted a series of well-orchestrated, violent attacks on key economic and political strongholds in Iraq, and as of today has gained great control of Iraq's western border with Syria.  Many have pointed to the continuing unrest in Syria as a breeding ground for terrorist activity, and blame the chaos within Syria for ISIS's formation.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27966774


Domestic response

Domestically, religious and political figures in Iraq have been quick to condemn the attacks and call upon the majority population of Shi'a Muslims in order to combat what is in essence a Sunni extremist militant group.  However, figures such as Shiite cleric Nassir al-Saedi were also adamant that the U.S. remain unengaged with the developing situation as Iraq, relegating any U.S. involvement to continued attempts to occupy and control the state.

It should be noted though, that as the situation escalates, views on U.S. involvement have become more diverse; for example, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has come out in support of air strikes on Iraq's western border, which would be carried out by foreign states.

 

Who Is ISIS?

It is easy to automatically discount a group of any kind once the word 'terrorism' comes into the fray, but regardless of their actions, it is still helpful to understand what caused this group to form in the first place.  In fact, given the pervasiveness of American ignorance regarding Islamic societies and Middle-Eastern states, I would say it is extremely important to discuss.

The 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIS) is a Sunni militant group acting within Iraq - a Shi'a majority state with a history of gross negligence toward its Sunni minority.  Regarding ISIS's activities in Syria, it is also important to remember that although the Assad regime (read: Assad family) is Alawi (a Shiite ethnic group in Syria) the wide majority of the Syrian populace is also Sunni.

They aren't acting alone either.  In much of North and West Iraq - regions which have larger populations of Sunnis and marginalized tribal groups than in the South - ISIS is getting support from those who are fed up with the Sunni-led regime and the divided status of their country.  Indeed, Iraq has been called unofficially partitioned by many, and even those who denounce the activities of ISIS are discussing the possibility of a future partition as well.

Of course, it is important to remember that they are officially categorized as a terrorist group as well.  High levels of violence against civilian populations have been attributed to the group.  Also, given the time frame during which ISIS arose - during the final call to draw down U.S. troops in Iraq, as well as during the ongoing Syrian civil war - it is clear that they are an opportunistic group as well.  Still, there are those who say otherwise, that the civilians fleeing the violence are not fleeing from ISIS itself, but from the inevitable violence between the group and government forces and that many who are fleeing are still supportive of the 'Sunni revolution'.

 

U.S. Response: The Government and The People

So what does this all mean for the United States and our inability to untangle ourselves from Iraqi politics?  The various members of the U.S. government, including President Obama and numerous key representatives, have attempted to walk a fine line, realizing that the wide majority of Americans are against any further involvement in foreign affairs as a result of not only war fatigue but an increasing disillusionment with the state of their own country.

Members of the U.S. government announced several times that 'all options' were on the table as far as aiding the Iraqi government in dealing with ISIS, and last week sent up to 300 military advisers to Iraq in order to provide support.

The question that arises here is one of state sovereignty.  At what point does domestic conflict - especially one that lay outside of one's region - become an international concern.  Given the weariness that many worldwide have about U.S. military involvement, is it little surprise that the call to arms of the Shi'a majority in Iraq was followed promptly by a warning to the U.S.?

Or, given the globalization of economics and politics, is something like this intrinsically connected to the U.S. and indeed to international security due to ISIS's threat to regional political stability and - it must be noted - to key markets in the global oil trade?  There are no easy answers to these questions, and in my opinion it really does come down to weighing the costs and benefits of not only U.S. or greater international involvement (for domestic security and for stability in the Middle East), but of the effects that different activities might have, and going in (or staying out) realizing that negative repercussions might result from any action (or inaction)...

And that either way, we will certainly have more to deal with in the future.

Activism Spotlight: Change The Mascot

Source: huffingtonpost.com/2013-09-11-WashingtonRedskinsLogo.jpg

Many claim that the fierce debate over the name and mascot of the Washington Redskins is much ado about nothing, even going so far as to claim that instead of being an insult to Native Americans, the term 'redskin' is meant to honor the legacy of the Native American heritage and communities.  This assertion came from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell - and is a belief paralleled by many Americans - despite the fact that the racial epithet is clearly defined by many sources as dated and/or offensive.

If the dictionary alone weren't convincing enough, the activism of groups like Change The Mascot, which heads a national campaign to "end the use of the racial slur 'redskins' as the mascot and name of the NFL team."  They have sent numerous letters, press releases, and taken advantage of social media like Twitter in order to raise public awareness for their cause.

Recently, their efforts have culminated in an epic, 2-minute-long commercial that truly celebrates the  diversity, history, and struggles of the Native American communities while also offering a scathing criticism of the Washington Redskins in the silence of the last few seconds in the commercial.

The activism of 'Change The Mascot' and other groups like them have endeared many to their cause.  Most now agree that the use of any other racial epithet would be completely unthinkable, and that it is equally inexcusable that one so infamous as 'Redskin' be allowed to remain in popular sports culture.

It seems that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office appeals board agrees.  Once again they have revoked the trademark registration for the Washington Redskins after reviewing a case from 2006 in a decision reminiscent of the one in 1999 which was overruled after the NFL team appealed.  The Washington Redskins will most likely appeal the decision again, a reminder that those activists working toward eliminating such a triggering racial epithet from the team's name still have their work cut out for them.

Still, this victory is a telling one, and a reminder that such activism to change society for the better one PR battle, one protest, one letter written at a time, is of extreme importance.

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 "I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." 

          - Edward Everett Hale

Local Living, Global Awareness: Dove Deodorant

For my first 'Local Living, Global Awareness' post, I wanted to do something that really was close to home, so close in fact that it could be found smack in the center of my bathroom: deodorant.

The deodorant that I use right now is one of Dove's premium protection solid deodorants, and it smells awesome!  Fresh pomegranate and lemon verbena, what better way to start one's day, am I right?

Source: http://www.dove.us/

Actually, today I didn't want to just use this product, I wanted to know how it was made, where it came from, and how the making of this product affected the lives of those communities who worked on it.  So, the first thing I did was take this deodorant I bought in bulk at a nearby Costco, and flipped it over to read the ingredients below:

Cyclopentasiloxane

Stearyl Alcohol

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

PPG-M Butyl Ether - skin conditioner

Hydrogenated castor oil

Fragrance

Dimethicone

Polyethylene

Sunflower Seed Oil

Steareth-100

BHT

It read like any other list of deodorant ingredients, most of which were moisturizing agents, emulsifiers, and substances that allowed for a more even spread of the solid deodorant.  If you're interested, this video below also shows how the typical deodorant stick is made!

 

Of course, it wasn't enough to know where and how the deodorant was made; I also needed to know where it was made and by whom.  Another bit of searching and I found my first answer.  My particular stick of deodorant was made in one of the Unilever factories in the U.S., the parent company for Dove, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, St. Ives, Vaseline and many other popular brands of beauty and food products.

For those who don't know, Unilever is one of the BIG ones.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/27/consumer-brands-owned-ten-companies-graphic_n_1458812.html

The ingredient I wanted to focus on most in that list of hard-to-pronounce chemical compounds is Stearyl Alcohol, a fatty alcohol generally derived from Stearic Acid found in Shea nuts and coconut oil (though it can also be found in smaller amounts in other nuts, fruits, and some animal fats) which is one important ingredient in maintaining the deodorant stick's smooth finish, and is used frequently in beauty products for its skin-soothing properties.

From what I have found, the largest exporters (<-- careful, the link takes some time to load) of Stearyl Alcohol are Malaysia, Germany, the United States and India, so it would be a safe assumption that the United States is in large measure its own supplier of Stearyl Alcohol.  However, it is clear that the raw materials - generally tropical fruits and nuts - from which Stearyl Alcohol is derived are not also produced in the United States, so I felt I needed to dig a bit deeper.

If the United States makes Stearyl Alcohol, who produces the agricultural and refined products that it is made from? 

Let's focus on Shea products to find out.  Once again turning to Google, I found that as of March, 2010, it was found that the majority of refined Shea butter was produced in European countries, which then "export the refined product to manufacturers of food and cosmetics" like Unilever.

65% of West African countries export the initial, raw agricultural products - Shea nuts and unrefined Shea butter - to Asian and European countries to be processed.  As such, of the projected total market value of $500 million for Shea products, West African countries enjoy only a small percentage of the potential revenue.  Good news though!  The number of countries only exporting the raw products have been dropping steadily as international and domestic investment in the West African shea markets as led to more refining capabilities in countries otherwise dependent on agricultural exports.

Shea nuts (Source: http://www.cleopatraschoice.com/shea-butter.html)

Shea butter (Source: http://blackgirllonghair.com/)

 Now that I know a bit about how my Dove Deodorant is made, who makes it, how they make it, and where it has been in its various forms, I also want to know how the markets affect those at the very beginning of the products creation, those who export the raw materials.  For that information, I turned my eye again to West Africa.

In Ghana, communities are coming together around the markets for Shea butter, especially as it opens greater opportunities for African women who individually made very little money in selling foraged shea nuts but as a collective managed to create enterprises in markets such as soap and shea butter as well, increasing their respective incomes by a modest but supremely important amount.  In Ghana's northern region, this has become especially important as the country works to bridge its wide national poverty gap which sees around 52% of its population as living below the poverty line.

Not only Ghana, but other West African countries like Burkina Faso are benefiting from the Shea Nut and Butter markets as well.  In Burkina Faso, for example, Shea butter is often referred to as "women's gold," because of its historical use as a beauty product but more importantly for the opportunities for employment that the market brings for women, who in recent years have worked in collectives to produce large amounts of Shea butter, soaps, and other products in order to bring in greater income for themselves and for their families.

Source: www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/october-2008/closing-ghana%E2%80%99s-national-poverty-gap

It is, however, important to note that while these gains in the trade of increasingly valuable, "hot commodity" products is a great stride for West African countries, there are many who are critical of those corporations who take advantage of the cheaper markets in these agriculturally-dependent countries then market the products as resulting from fair trade and price agreements to their consumers in advanced industrial countries; there is controversy as to whether farmers and purveyors of these products in West Africa are actually getting paid their "fair" share.
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All the world is made up of local communities.  One small community now has the capability to affect or to be affected by those thousands of miles away.  This immense influence comes with this responsibility: to know those we affect and to do what we can to do right by them.