America’s Most Endangered River

I spotted this video (below) over the weekend and I got a little teary eyed. It is true that I was born in the Midwest (Ohio) and live there currently but I consider myself to be a Southwestern gal at heart…a desert rat. I lived in Arizona for over twenty years and spent my childhood there. The Colorado River is a treasure to us desert rats and in the years before I left it was so alarming to hear how badly we were decimating it. The unsustainable way in which many live there is one big reason I left. I couldn’t feel good about buying local foods from local family farmer’s when I knew they were using water piped in from the Colorado River to sustain their plants/farms. It seemed very unnatural to me. Living in a sustainable way to me means not stealing water from hundreds of miles away and from the people in that region who need it.

This video from American Rivers highlights the problem beautifully. They have named the Colorado River America’s most endangered river of 2013. It might not be the biggest river out there but it works the hardest as the lifeblood of seven states, two countries, and nine national parks. It has been so used and abused that it no longer reaches the sea. :(

Their site has some great information on ways we can action to save it and also to save other American rivers and waterways. One HUGE way is to make sure we patronize businesses and corporations that are not exploiting these resources and research our purchases before we make them to ensure it. Vote for the world you want with your dollars.

Many thanks to Reuseit for sharing this video (the place I discovered it). In addition to being a company with great eco products and ethics they partner with American Rivers and other environmental organizations and donate 1% of anything you buy to support them.