Our Water. Our Florida.
A water ethic for Florida.
In a new report, the Collins Center makes the case for a statewide water ethic to protect Florida's most essential natural resource – water. Managing freshwater has been a central theme throughout Florida’s history. In the 19th Century, Floridians were guided by how much water could be pushed off the land. In the 20th Century, we were guided by how much could be pumped into subdivisions. In the 21st Century, we must be guided by our consciences.
A Water Ethic for Florida shows how all Floridians, from elected leaders to business owners to citizens, can come together to ensure freshwater supply for future generations. Its guiding principles encourage Floridians to:
- Value water, from appreciating local streams to being willing to pay an appropriate price for water.
- Work together to use less and less – rather than fight each other to grab more and more.
- Keep water local in order to avoid the financial, environmental and energy costs of long-distance transfers.
- Avoid the big mistakes of our history: over-tapping natural supplies and over-reliance on costly fixes that bring unintended consequences.
- Leave as much as prudently possible in nature – aquifers, wetlands and rivers – so that our children and grandchildren can make their own decisions about water.
Cynthia Barnett, a senior writer at Florida Trend magazine, wrote the report on behalf of the Collins Center, with specific examples from our own state, other parts of the United States and other parts of the world. She is also the author of the book, Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S. and the forthcoming book, Blue Revolution: Unmaking American’s Water Crisis.
A Water Ethic for Florida is the first in a series for the Collins Center’s Our Florida. Our Future.initiative, a multi-year effort to envision Florida’s future. The goal of Our Florida. Our Future. is to create a dynamic, global state with communities that are prosperous, healthy, just, neighborly and sustainable.
"We're concerned about the future of Florida and we think a lot of other Floridians are concerned as well,” said Steve Seibert, senior vice president and director of strategic visioning for the Collins Center. "Through Our Florida. Our Future., we hope to get people talking about how to create the Florida we all want. We chose to deal with our water supply first because of its long-term implications for the future of this state."
To comment on the report and on water use in Florida, take a short Water Ethic Survey.
About the Author
Cynthia Barnett is senior writer at Florida Trend magazine, where she has covered investigative, environmental, public policy and business stories for more than 12 years. She is the author of Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S. (University of Michigan Press, 2007), and the forthcoming Blue Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis (Beacon Press, September 2011).
Learn more at www.cynthiabarnett.net
About the Photographer
John Moran was Florida's official state nature photographer in 2007. A University of Florida graduate, Moran's photography has appeared in numerous books and magazines including National Geographic, Life, Time, Newsweek, Smithsonian, The New York Times Magazine and on the cover of the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida.
Learn more at JohnMoranPhoto.com