Earth Day I: Waterkeepers

This week Thursday the United States celebrates the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day, the well managed but still unofficial day of protest against environmental degradation.  It is a day to honor the bounty of Earth and publicize ways to live in harmony with nature.  As the years have gone by the day has stretched into a week and the mass mobilization has remained active throughout the years.  This and the next post, feature two such year-long efforts.

Water keepers are part of a building grassroots effort to clean up and protect the nation’s waterways.  Local groups organize to promote clean water standards and laws, stage clean-up projects in rivers and streams and educate the public on local water issues.  The Alliance of Waterkeepers claims a global network of over 350 groups on six continents, making it clear the Earth Day imperative is acknowledged around the world.

   

Missouri Confluence Waterkeepers 

By the wizardry of chemical science there is the same amount of water on Earth today as there was with the planet was originally formed.  The sounds great but no reason to be comfortable.  Water is a big problem all around the world, because so much is being rendered unusable by industry and agriculture all the while the number of thirsty mouths is increasing.

About 97% of all that water is too salty to use for drinking water or for planting crops.  Out of the remaining 3%, about two thirds is trapped in glaciers.  Oh goody, the oil and gas industry continues pumping crude oil into the economy and by burning it up we can warm the planet enough to melt all those glaciers.  Oops, the glacial melt just goes into the ocean and immediately turns too salty to drink!  Of course, sarcasm is not the foundation for any solution.

It is the 1% of the world’s water that has the attention of waterkeepers, who are sincere about finding solutions.  For most of the wealthy on the planet, water scarcity is an abstract concept.  There is seemingly a never-ending supply at the tap in their homes.  Unfortunately, for the many in rural areas or in poor regions, accessibility to clean water is a daily worry.  Agriculture is the greediest consumer of global freshwater as farmers grab supplies for crops and livestock producers run taps for their animals.

These heavy water users are also among the most visible and prolific polluters.  In the U.S., agricultural runoff is the top source of contamination of rivers, streams and lakes and the second largest culprit fouling wetlands.  Every day excess fertilizers and pesticides as well as animal wastes are washed into water ways.  Indeed, excess nitrogen and phosphorus in water is the primary threat to water quality around the world.

It is a big problem requiring strong forces to reach solutions.  The Waterkeeper Alliance has recruited a number of corporate partners to help with the water cause.  Toyola Motor Corporation (TM:  NYSE) is among the most prominent corporate members.  The company is a frequent participant in national waterkeeper events and has made both cash and in-kind contributions to the Waterkeeper Alliance.  Automotive World reports that it takes an average of 39,000 gallons of water to produce and assemble the components of a car.  It is a big number that begs the question of why Toyota is the only car manufacturer to get behind the movement that seeks to preserve usable water. 

A smaller, but even more obvious corporate partner is Levi Strauss & Company, a producer of denim clothing.  About 1,800 gallons of water are needed to grow enough cotton to make just one pair of Levi jeans.  Growing the cotton in a medium T-shirt requires 400 gallons of water.  More clothing manufacturers need to team up with Waterkeepers.  The apparel industry dumps as much as 2.5 billion gallons of waste into the world’s waterways each year, including 200,00 tons of dyes made from harmful chemicals.

No stock recommendation is made in this two-part series.  However, it is clear that most if not all industries are highly dependent upon the availability of fresh water.  This is a commodity that cannot be taken for granted and is likely to become a noticeable driver of operating costs in the future.  Finding solutions to water pollution and the availability of adequate supplies for human consumption as well as industry is an imperative that should be on the minds of investors this week and all year round.

 

Neither the author of the Small Cap Strategist web log, Crystal Equity Research nor its affiliates have a beneficial interest in the companies mentioned herein.