A) My name is Amir Paris, my hometown is Dallas, located in Northeastern Pennsylvania in the mountains. We’re fortunate enough to get fresh, clean, potable water from a nearby well. We rent the property so I’m not exactly sure of where the well is located.
I think I became appreciative of this when I moved to State College, where the municipal water coming to the sink looks and smells odd. I learned in my wastewater treatment class about excessive estrogen in our municipal water here as well, which keeps me using a Brita at all times. Due to living in third world countries, where clean tap water was nothing but a fantasy, it was hard to convince my family to stop buying bottled water after moving to this well-supplied house. But as a Water Resources Engineering focus student, I was able to convince them to make the switch. We now drink the water from the sink, which not only saves us money, but definitely helps preserve the environment by not constantly cycling through plastic bottles. According to my landlord, the water does go to the municipality after usage.
B)Here is my tracked water usage for 2/08/2016
C)When I visited Panama last summer. Our water usage was roughly 2 gallons per day. When there, I washed my hands on the river, along with my clothes, and dishes. The community did not have access to clean water, however, we purified river water every night. Showers took no more than 2 minutes since the water was limited and cold. We prioritized the water for strictly washing and drinking. We used a latrine, which did not require water. Cooking water also came from the river which was then boiled to a cleansing point. Since there were 10 of us, the amount of water used to cook came down to less than 1/16th of a gallon per person per day. Geography matters, considering the fact that most houses in this community did not even have access to a hose for water. Although the river provides endless water, purification was difficult, and a trip down to it isn’t easy for everyone. This was one of many things I learned to appreciate from this Panama trip. I understand that water is not limited in Pennsylvania, and I’m afraid to say I take advantage of it sometimes. This is because I don’t see the consequences of doing so as clearly when water is as readily available as it is.
Hi, my name is Michele and here’s a link to my post:http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/10/module-4-7/
Your blog captured my attention because of how personal but full of relevant facts you made your post. It’s so interesting how your water source is so very close to home and you’re more aware of how your water is being treated. The fact that you were also able to live off 2 gallons of water a day in Panama is pretty admirable. I’m from Cameroon, which is a developing country in Cameroun and I can definitely relate to the struggle of using river/lake water for a lot of household chores as well as personal hygiene.
Hi Amir here is a link to my blog post this week: https://wp.me/p3RCAy-bos. It is very interesting how you lived off only 2 gallons of water a day in Panama. After tracking my daily water usage, I concluded that I don’t think I would be able to live off that very well. I think using latrines instead of bathrooms would save a lot of water due to the few gallons of water used every time a toilet is flushed. I definitely also feel like I take advantage at the unlimited water that I have access to.