If you're old enough to remember the 70's, you will probably recall a decade of both cheap and abundant gasoline, except for one year that saw an 'oil shortage' that produced long lineups at gas stations and inflated prices.
While stronger geopolitical American ties can be thanked for keeping the taps open (along with a couple of strategic wars), how soon we can forget how fragile our economy really is... For as long as it is dependent on limited natural resources that are in worldwide demand.
Another one of these precious resources is water, and it has been in the same under supply over demand situation as oil for some time now.
This week The Star has been carrying stories on water - from the political jockeying and corporatization, to our utter waste of it. It would seem that this year, the water issue is getting the attention it deserves. In 1999 I read a book called "Water: the Fate of Our Most Precious Resource", and it changed my attitude towards this seemingly abundant resource.
Hopefully you have been hearing why bottled water is so bad for us. I have reduced my bottled water consumption considerably. Here is what I do for drinking water. This method is simple, produces water that has fewer contaminates than bottled water, and it certainly tastes better than anything that can be bought in any store:
I purchased and installed a tap filter for the kitchen faucet. It was only $30 and quite simple to attach to the faucet. This filter alone reduces a lot of the impurities that can be found in tap water. I fill up a pot full of water and bring it to a boil for about 3 to 5 minutes, let it cool, then fill up a pitcher I keep in the refrigerator. Boiling it kills off any bacteria floating around and steams off any residue such as chlorine that the filter may not have caught. I have received many compliments on the taste of this water - including from a family member who lives far up north where they have the best tap water I have ever tasted.
In the mean time, Canada has an abundant supply of drinking water, and the rest of the world is licking their chops. Watch for all the symptoms of a full out water war in the years to come.