Gratitude for Water: Your Family Can Help Protect Our Most Precious Resource

by Ashley Ess

“Water has a memory and carries within it our thoughts and prayers. As you yourself are water, no matter where you are, your prayers will be carried to the rest of the world.”  Masaru Emoto 

More than likely, your summer family activities will at some point revolve around water. Certainly you’ll be drinking plenty of fresh, cold water, swimming in your backyard or community pool, taking a day trip to the beach, running through sprinklers or vacationing on the lake. 

Being around water, especially waterfalls, rapids, sprayed water and ocean waves, can have a profound effect on our health.  The negative ions produced by moving water help strengthen the immune system, reduce the severity of allergies, asthma and headaches and increase mental alertness. A study published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology even found that negative ions have a positive effect on memory and attention of both mentally-challenged and normal children. 

A significant portion of our bodies is made up of water. It is imperative that the water we drink, cook with, bathe in, exercise in and play in – as well as the water for all living things – be kept clean. It can be overwhelming to find that many of our water systems have become polluted, perhaps beyond what one small family can fix, but any effort that has a positive effect on the environment raises consciousness and indeed makes a difference. No effort is ever too small. Our water certainly needs our help… and what a great way to spend summer with your family, by volunteering to help clean up your local water resources! 

Summer is the perfect time to introduce some important, yet fun, ways to volunteer to help protect our most precious natural resource. 

The following are some ideas to get your family started, followed by some safe swimming tips from Janelle Sorensen of Healthy Child, Healthy World.

Take a Big Step: Start Small Research what types of environmental groups are active in your local area. Many organizations have volunteer water clean-up days during the summer. This is a great learning experience for children and can help build character and self-esteem as they become an integral part of something so important. 

A Community Affair Organize your own water clean-up picnic at a local beach or park with a water source with your children, relatives, friends and community members. Picking up trash and planting streamside vegetation to help prevent erosion help significantly. This is a fun way to connect and do something wonderful for the environment. 

H2O Foster Care Find out how you can adopt a body of water in your local area and help maintain it. A great resource to check out is Adopt a Stream. 

Be Part of the Solution: Help Stop Pollution Water can become contaminated from the improper disposal of chemicals, plastics and other non-biodegradable and harmful items. Spend some time learning with your children about how you can prevent such things from reaching vital water ecosystems. The Environmental Protection Agency’s website has some good information on local areas and is a great place to start. Also check out The Groundwater Foundation. 

Make an Ocean of a Difference Non-profits like The World Water Organization assist children in helping other children around the world to have clean water. By encouraging your child and his/her school to become involved in such a cause, not only will your child learn about the grace and necessity of being in service to others, but s/he will truly make a difference in the world by making clean water possible in areas that have been lacking.

“We Love Water. We Thank Water. We Respect Water. We Are All Water. We Are All One.” Masaru Emoto

Ashley Ess is the Chief Editor of Bamboo Magazine-Whole Family Living.