Don’t Drink the Water

The typical American uses 99 gallons of water a day for washing clothes, bathing, toilet-flushing and cooking, and that amount doesn’t even come close to the amount of water used on a daily basis by electrical power plants.

On NPR, Terry Gross interviewed water expert Charles Fishman, author of "The Big Thirst," who says, "The last 100 years has been the golden age of water in the developed world: water that has been safe, unlimited and essentially free. But that era is over. We will not, going forward, have water that has all three of those qualities at the same time: unlimited, unthinkingly inexpensive and safe."

The era is especially over in India–if it ever existed: A superbug (a bacteria that is resistant to all known antibiotics) has been found in drinking water in New Delhi. In Reuters, Kate Kelland quotes researcher Mark Toleman as saying, "The inhabitants of New Delhi are continually being exposed to multidrug-resistant bacteria. We would expect that perhaps as many as half a million people are carrying (superbug) bacteria as normal (gut) flora in New Dehli alone." Kelland quotes WHO’s Zsuzsanna Jakab as saying, "We are at a critical point in time where antibiotic resistance is reaching unprecedented levels. Given the growth of travel and trade in Europe and across the world, people should be aware that until all countries tackle this, no country alone can be safe."

The water is clear and pure in Nashville, which is only ONE of the reasons we decided to hold our annual Dreamland Festival in that wonderful city–another is that it’s filled with music. And on the last weekend in June, it will be filled with incredible ideas! Don’t wait too long to get your tickets–we’re selling out fast.