Maybe you've heard the popular adage which says if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem.
No where is that pearl of wisdom truer than when we talk about the pollution of the world's water resources.
We have used and abused the water we have for so many decades now that the problem is finally catching up with us, clean, fresh water is disappearing, and we've no one to blame but ourselves.
Ecologists have been telling us of the impending water shortage crisis, but we haven't been listening.
We made the mess, so it seems only fair that we clean it up.
It may be that you've gotten so used to doing things a certain way that you don't even realize that you are contributing to the contamination in our water systems.
Tips for doing your part to clean up the water include: * Make it a habit to use less water.
Take showers instead of tub baths, wear clothing more than once before tossing it into the laundry, or forget about watering your lawn.
Make sure that there are no dripping faucets or toilets running in your home to cut down on water waste.
The less water you use, the smaller the quantity that you are sending into our reclamation systems.
* We all need to be very careful with our use of chemicals.
Everything from the cleaners you use in your home to the fertilizer you put on your lawn can infiltrate the water systems.
Any time you pour a bucket of caustic materials down the storm sewer near your home, you're just as guilty of pollution as big industry.
Such things as soaps and shampoos that contain phosphates are also big culprits when it comes to water contamination.
Read the ingredients a product contains before you buy.
* There are simple tasks we can all do that will help clean up the environment and, thereby, keep harmful materials out of our water.
Cleaning up waste after your pet can keep it from washing into the waterways as can properly depositing your cigarette butts instead of throwing them on the ground.
Many people think it's okay to flush almost anything down their toilets, and so they dump in chemicals, unwanted drugs, and dirty water they'd rather not put down their sinks.
Next time you start thinking about doing this, think about where that stuff is going to end up.
* You may have heard that recently 240,000 fish were discovered along a Tennessee riverbank in Alabama.
The cause of their demise? Nothing but water pollution.
Freshwater fish are those most often affected by our contamination of their habitat.
Our water is a precious commodity which all living things need to sustain life.
It isn't the plentiful and sustainable resource that many people seem to think it is, and people who aren't working to save it are adding to the problem.
It's easy to make a difference, so you should think about how you can make yours.