Santa Ana conditions in Los Angeles, breezy and sunny in Israel. The last day of January, the winter is absent. The world is experiencing a drought, and we are still watering the sidewalks with fresh, drinking water and fill our landfills with plastic bottles of the latest trend – water.
It was not that many years ago that no one would have thought of paying dearly for water in bottles – now water comes in all types of bottles, shapes, colors, tastes, and price ranges. Imports? Local bottling? Brand names? Spring vs. Drinking water? Just walk to the tap and turn the water on. Enjoy every drop that comes out, and you do not have to be dragged into the race of who is drinking the "coolest" water. Museum water? Shopping Center label? We just want an old fashioned water fountain.
Does an eight dollar bottle of "artisan" water really taste differently? Only to those who are willing to pour their hard earned dollars without a second thought. Where is our pride of our own water quality (in Beverly Hills, for example, water consistently ranks among the best in the region – results of blind taste tests)? Where is our common sense?
In Australia 39 degrees Celsius, 120 Fahrenheit. 22 people are dead from the heat. "Down under" it is summer time, a summer the likes of which few remember.
It seems like a very long time ago that guests from Australia sat with a former Mayor of Beverly Hills at one of the City's world-renowned hotels. Joining them was the owner of that hotel. Water in tall, beautiful bottles was served (at $10 / bottle). Having served along with 25 other residents on the City's Environmental Sustainability Topic Committee, I asked why would the hotel not offer the City's own water (25% of our water supply comes from wells to our own underground water) – free of charge.
Imagine the wonderful effect of a waitress asking the guests – "May I serve some Beverly Hills Water? It is one of the best kept secrets of our City, and – it would not cost you a dime!" When the guest then returns the room, rather than finding Avian bottles (also exorbitantly priced), the guest will find a note saying – it is perfectly safe to drink directly from the tap. Only in Beverly Hills! (Regrettably, the owner of the hotel decided to bottle water under the hotel's name. The water is not local, but then who cares?)
We must not treat the most basic commodity with such largeness. We must conserve. Water is a scarce resource, becoming even less available with changing weather cycles and a population growth reaching explosion. Like anything else in life, we take water for granted, until one day it will not be available any more.
Anyone who cares about carbon foot print must think twice before rushing to buy a bottle of Fiji Water, Avian or Pellagrino. In fact, do not quench your thirst with local bottlings either – drink from the tap. The water is safe, it is highly regulated, and in Los Angeles we have some of the best water to be found anywhere in the USA.
Take your kids on an adventure instead – find out where is the water coming from, go and visit the open-air aqueducts, go to the water treatment plant in Beverly Hills or to the open-air lakes and reservoirs (there is one hidden among the hills of Hollywood, another in the center of Boston surrounded by a wonderful park). Continue this discovery by contacting your city's department of Public Works. They will be delighted someone is calling them to learn more about what they do and will be very glad to share their knowledge and expertise. Then embark on a treasure hunt – find fountains and other public sculptures that incorporate water and use conservation methods.
In Beverly Hills, there are two unique underground water reservoirs: One looks like a mini-park, with large grass areas and some trees. Underneath there is a secondary reservoir. People driving along Sunset Boulevard, where the City is divided between the "good part" and the "estates part," pass it every day but may not even recognize it for what it is.
Those who want to venture just up the hill to the Greystone Mansion – a park (free of charge to all visitors) – will end up parking on the roof of the main water reservoir of the City. Since it is hillside, it is by definition a dam. After every certain-magnitude earthquake, a City employee takes a canoe and checks all the walls to ensure there was no damage to the structure. Very few residents have been taken down to see the reservoir. To be one of them, you must apply to Team Beverly Hills, a leadership program of the City. To all others – you are still invited to visit Greystone, a wonderful mansion and park.
Water is scarce and we need to treat it as such. Water is wonderful, and there are various ways to discover its many wonders. Treat it with care, treat it as a resource, as an adventure, and thus you will leave a legacy of care that your kids will carry with them and will impart to the next generations.
