drought
Given the tumultuous way in which 2016 came to a close, I figured I'd kick off the New Year by being as upbeat as can be about what the future holds for watershaping. Two news stories I've followed through the last couple months put me in a suitable frame of mind for this exercise. First up was the hovering
Three news stories caught my eye as I began thinking about the completion of another year's set of WaterShapes World blogs. These aren't the usual holiday-oriented/feel-good items, as you'll see. The first comes from the web site of the
Given what I do for a living, it's fortunate that I have a deep and abiding love of water. I enjoy being in, on and near it. I even like water in the forms of mist and fog. I must declare, however, that living in the Pacific Northwest for more than three years in the early 1980s put me off a similar love of rain and, more specifically, led me to loathe
When I come across headlines about technological breakthroughs, I generally decide about reading further based upon the subject's relevance to what I do either as a private person or as a professional - and I have to say that, most times, I never get past the bold print. A couple weeks back, however, I was intrigued enough by
I don't tend to be an alarmist, but I have to say that the mood about the drought here in California is scarier than anything I've witnessed in a lifetime of water awareness. We've been through these episodes before, of course. More times than I can count, the state has been rescued by late-season rains or heavier-than-estimated snowpacks. But this drought seems different, from one end of California to the other - more severe, more desperate, more polarizing and more caught up in quick reactions than in
Last month, I discussed the benefits of sustainability and its place in landscape and watershape design. As I hope I conveyed, I think it is incumbent upon us as professionals to be responsible for our actions and constantly aware of the effects our work has on the environment, now and in the future. With the current severe drought desiccating the southeast, ongoing water problems in the west and increasing pressure on the water-supply infrastructure nationwide, it’s more important than ever that we
With greater force than ever before, water conservation is back on the minds of governments, landscape professionals and property owners these days - and for good reason: The combination of growing demand and recurring periods of drought has sensitized people in many parts of the country to the fact that water isn't an infinite resource. Even this new magazine is part of the dialogue: In the September/October 2006 issue of LandShapes, James Minnich defined the need for landshapers to become more
Clean Water for Kenyan Orphans