Written in Water: Messages of Hope for Earth's Most Precious Resource Salina, Irena

Review “Of all the environmental concerns we face, threats to freshwater rank highest on the list.” --Booklist   “The book’s central message, that “water conservation is not about scarcity” but rather its careful use and fair distribution, comes through in a number of sober but optimistic calls to action.” –Publishers Weekly   “One new arrival stands out: Written in Water, a collection of water-themed essays published by the National Geographic Society.” –Arizona Republic Product Description Written in Water: Messages of Hope for Earth's Most Precious Resource comprises a collection of essays authored by heroes and leaders in the field of water solutions and innovations―a broad range of people from varied disciplines who have contributed their hearts and minds to bringing awareness to and conserving Earth’s freshwater supply. In their own words, authors tell of such tragedies as water slavery, drought, or contamination, as well as their own professional struggles and successes in pursuit of freshwater solutions. Contributors include: Alexandra Cousteau, social environmental advocate and granddaughter of legendary marine scientist Jacques Cousteau; Peter Gleick, environmental visionary and winner of a 2003 MacArthur "genius grant"; Bill McKibben, bestselling author and winner of a Guggenheim fellowship; Sylvia Earle, oceanographer and Time magazine’s first "hero for the planet"; and Christine Todd Whitman, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, along with more than a dozen other notable people. These visionaries’ stories touch, surprise, and amaze as they help us see the essential role played by water in our world, our lives, and our future. These are all people who are thinking far beyond the realm of self; they are devoted to creating a better world for all of us. From Publishers Weekly This varied collection of 25 essays by leading conservationists, edited by documentarian Salina, range from a warning by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Clifford about the ten-year drought threatening 30 million residents of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Denver, to stories of successful activists like Marion Stoddart, who stopped the industrial pollution of Massachusetts's Nashua River. A photographic study of Mount Everest shows graphic evidence of receding glaciers; several pieces describe traditional methods of "rainwater-harvesting and storage" being implemented in locations like Nepal; Rose George discusses the reasons behind the staggering statistic that 2.6 billion people worldwide live without sanitation, "surrounded by human excrement," which causes 25 percent of global child deaths. The book's central message, that "water conservation is not about scarcity" but rather its careful use and fair distribution, comes through in a number of sober but optimistic calls to action. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Of all the environmental concerns we face, threats to freshwater rank highest on the list. After creating the documentary film Flow: For the Love of Water, Salina jumped at the chance to create an anthology about the need to value, safeguard, and conserve water the world round as rivers dwindle, reservoirs evaporate, glaciers melt, drought and pollution worsen, and nearly a third of the earth’s people are water-poor. Peter Gleick begins by observing that water reform requires “fundamental changes in thinking, policy, and culture,” a view shared by each of the eloquent and incisive water visionaries who follow. Frank Clifford considers the consequences of the disappearing Colorado River. Rose George writes of water and sanitation. Alexandra Cousteau explains why she continues the water-centric environmental work of her grandfather, Jacques, and her father, Philippe. Sandra Postel, director of the Global Water Policy Project, believes we must be bold in confronting water scarcity while regaining a s