Irrigation Irritation By Bob MacDonald, CMCA, AMS, PCAM | Cedar Management
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very day, some people seem to do annoying and inappropriate things that make life harder for the rest of us. From the drivers who unabashedly take up two parking spaces with glee, to the endless army of litterers who consider the entire earth to be their own personal trash can, rude and nasty people always find a way to make our days just a little bit worse. But fear not, those who still believe in common decency and the American way, because Jimmy Kimmel plans to stop these obnoxious, inconsiderate foes in their tracks with “The Finger of Shame.” And the first finger of shame that caught my attention was a man wasting a lot of water while “irrigating” his lawn with a hose.
IRRIGATION IRRITATION — Shame on you! 1
As Community Association Managers, we should work with our local municipalities and the associations we manage to find creative ways to reduce the toll excessive irrigation is taking on the environment. 8
Minnesota Communit y Living
Morgan Stanley recently released a report which stated that the “perfect storm” of declining water supply and rising demand are likely to make water the critical limiting resource of our time. The report, entitled “Peak Water: The Preeminent 21st Century Commodity Story,” paints a convincing picture of a world that is on the brink of a severe water crisis. It also offers hope by presenting new technological solutions and opportunities emerging in response. Facing rising costs and dwindling supply, businesses and utilities will be forced to invest in water infrastructure and technology, making the industry ripe for growth.” 2 Many interrelated forces are converging to exacerbate the water scarcity problem. The one I would like mention for the purpose of this article is Rapid Urbanization: Currently more than half of the global population lives in cities. In 1990, the world had 10 cities with populations of over 10 million; by 2020, the UN predicts that number will increase to 27. Urbanization, which is usually associated with an increasing standard of living, can increase a person’s demand for water to five times that of the basic water requirement. And of course, those who live in urban areas love lush lawns and a plethora of blooming plants. 1) https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=jimmy+ kimmel+finger+of+shame&ei=UTF8&hspart= mozilla&hsimp=yhs-003 2) https://www.morganstanleyclientserv.com/contentmanagement/HTMLFiles/pdf/ gic_peakwater.pdf