Humans can generally survive between 1 and 2 months without food and generally 1 to 3 days without water.

The human body is composed of an average of roughly 60% water. We are water bags with legs. In a disaster situation water will become a top priority. A little planning will help assuage that necessity.

Postponing Our Own Memorial Day

It isn't that I fear death, I would just like to postpone it as long as possible (provided I remain in good health). I thought it would be interesting to explore ways to maximize our health in today's column. Much of our health is a result of our diet. Lifestyle also plays an important role. The cast of our genetic dice provides the base of our health through our lives. The nature of our work and work place can stress us out or might be a supportive. The homes and communities where we live also shape our health. The nature of our environment and pollutants we encounter can promote or retard our health as well. Personal health is a multifaceted issue, and a moving target as we age. Our genetics dictate much of our health but we can control our diet, develop healthy habits, and avoid many of the toxins common in today's society.

Directing the Flow with the Magic of Water

What a long, wet week its been. About a foot of rain last week. It rained every day. It's just breaking up today with a forecast of a few dry sunny days. So with water flowing everywhere, it seems a natural topic for this column. Like other lifeforms, we are mostly water. Water is life. Over two thirds of our planet is covered with water. However less than 2% is fresh water, and most of that tied up as ice. As the climate continues to become more extreme, we can expect both more droughts and more flooding. However if we manage our environment sustainably we can cope with these wild variations.

I have written much about the drastic changes we need to make if we are to survive our self- made crisis. There is no need to point these things out to the water protectors at Standing Rock. I only wonder if the rest of us really understand this.
Today there was a pause in construction announced. This is a victory for all people on the planet. It has significance in many ways. Surely the protection of the water is the obvious one.

Scarcity of freshwater is one the major crises facing human society today. Food production is the largest consumer of freshwater on the planet. One estimate indicates that farming accounts for 70% of water used today (1).

Meat production causes more environmental harm than any other single industry, endangering wildlife, contributing at least 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and accounting for 80% of antibiotic use, 37% of pesticide use and nearly 50% of water use in the United States.