Friday, October 15, 2010

Water Equals Life

What does water have to do with a quilt or a quilter?
Everything...because without water we would have nothing.
No cotton plants could grow, the cotton couldn't get to market, it couldn't be dyed.
Even more, the people who grow the cotton could not live without water, nor could quilters live without water...it is the most basic of human needs.

Quilts can help us understand what water means. Hollis Chatleain's "Precious Water", a Best of Show at the IQA in Houston, is all about how every living thing depends on water.

How much water did you use today?
Did you wash your hands...brush your teeth...do laundry...take a drink...you know you flushed at least once!
Each time you turned on the tap you probably used half a gallon to several gallons of water.
Washing a quilt takes maybe 20 gallons.
All that water was clean and safe to drink, even if it never got close to your mouth.
Just one gallon of water weighs over 8 pounds.
So... what if  you had to walk several miles to the only place to get any water...and that water was not clean, and when you and your family used it, you all might become sick? And you had to spend hours carrying water every day, because even unsafe water is better than none?
More than a billion people around the world do not have clean water. More than 2.1 million people  (mostly children) die each year from diseases found in water. Even in our own country.

October 15 is Blog Action Day, and this year's topic is clean, safe water.
I signed up to tell you these things about water, because it's something we all depend upon, and yet mostly take for granted.
Until we can't get it...the plumbing is broken, the electric is off and the pump doesn't run. Think about a time you weren't able to get water in your own house, how upset you were!
Remember that time when you next go into the kitchen or bathroom.
Look at the amount of water that just runs down the drain.
Then think about the woman, and her children, who carry just a few gallons of water for all their daily needs. And still run the risk of becoming ill from bad water.

Clean safe water is the most basic of human needs. Providing that to everyone is the most basic of ways one person can help another.
You can help through many organizations. Church World Service is one.

Thank-you for letting me get off-topic today. I know that quilters are people who care about others, and knowing about a problem is the first step towards improving a situation.

ADDED NOTE: What good is a plea for funds unless we state what the money is for? CWS, and many other fine agencies, help villages drill wells so people can get that safe clean water in a nearby location. What else could truly help each person and improve so many lives?

Coming next: Stripping for a Wedding!

No comments: