California – along with much of the Western U.S. – is in the grip of a severe drought. This drought, expected to be long-lasting, will lead to water shortages in several states, and will require millions of people to conserve water.
On August 20, the State Water Board unanimously approved emergency regulations to temporarily halt farmers, landowners and others from diverting water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed.
Governor Newsom has issued an Executive Order strongly encouraging all Californians to conserve water by 15%. “The realities of climate change are nowhere more apparent than in the increasingly frequent and severe drought challenges we face in the West and their devastating impacts on our communities, businesses and ecosystems,” said Governor Newsom. “The entire state is in a drought today, and to meet this urgent challenge we must all pull together and do our part to reduce water use as California continues to build a more climate resilient water system to safeguard the future of our state.”
Governor Newsom’s announcement, made on July 8, includes water conservation strategies for households. The faith community, as a rule, has been implementing the mandate to protect all of Creation – including natural resoures – for years. Some of the best strategies undertaken by houses of worship can be found here.
If your house of worship is doing an admirable job at water conservation, we want to hear about it. Send us an email at info@interfaithpower.org. You might just find your congregation’s story on our website.
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