This term, we have been exploring how arts and humanities-based approaches can be used to critically engage with environmental issues. This final reflection is an opportunity to consider how your fell

Hi everyone!

Here is the link to my final project film on Water Pollution in Lake Washington and short essay below:  https://vimeo.com/422295003 (Links to an external site.)

Water Pollution in Lake Washington Final Project

Our world has faced major environmental issues, but water pollution was the topic that piqued my interest the most while finding a topic for this project. Water is the most important resource on earth for all living and non-living beings. Water is needed for almost everything in anyone’s life, whether it’s doing household chores, cooking, farming, industrial activities, entertainment activities, etc. Even if we heavily depend and rely on this resource, it doesn’t account for how humans use it carelessly and not thinking about how it causes water pollution and water scarcity. Ever since I began doing household chores and cooking more frequently, I’ve realized that how a lot of people don’t consider the usefulness of water. I often see my mother drinking water bottles but won’t ever refill her bottle after she’s finished using it or she’ll dump half of the water bottle out, or I’ll see my boyfriend brushing his teeth and he’ll leave the water running while he’s not even using or needing it. Not only is water beneficial to humans, but also to living animals and insects. I have two cats and when their water bowls are running low on water, it makes me wonder what they would do without the resource. They would be extremely dehydrated and probably get sick or die. Those are just a couple of examples that inspired me for this project. Considering the fact that water is a major resource, I feel like some people need to cherish it more. My project has developed over the course of the term because I’ve been taking more accountability for my own actions and trying to be more responsible with water resources. I’ve also been trying to educate and help my family limit their water intake. Some solutions to preserving water that I’ve been incorporating into my daily life are taking shorter showers, turning off the water while brushing your teeth, using a broom to clean driveways, sidewalks, and steps instead of water, and more.

The research that I did for the environmental issue that I selected was mainly all online. Professor Cram helped me narrow down my topic to Water Pollution in Lake Washington and linked me to a website that was very useful for this project. I started my research process off by researching more facts about Lake Washington itself. The King County website had great factual information about the lake and more about the water quality, species composition, and changes to the organisms in the lake. I also found a Youtube video that demonstrates and shows the audience what is found at the bottom of Lake Washington which is great to show the audience. I’m surprised that there are a lot of random items such as old cars, trains, and more at the bottom of Lake Washington. The Youtube video will be great for people to see because it definitely caught me by surprise. I found several websites that show how much pollutants have affected the lake, which I talked about in the video. I think all of the sources that I used for this project were useful, and it helped a lot too since this topic was city-based which made me more familiar with the websites. The only absence and uncertainty that I came across while researching was why the divers who look for these items at the bottom of the lake don’t pull them out and use them for historical reasons. This information might be difficult to find because the researches and divers might just want to keep them there and see if there’s more items like those.

The causes of this environmental issue are industrial waste dumping, accidental oil leakage, burning fossil fuels, leakage from sewer lines, sewage and wastewater, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, animal waste, and urban development. All of these causes are understandable because somehow, they always can and do end up in water streams, causing more water to be polluted. There are complexities in solving this issue because not everyone will be willing to help fix it. Some ways humans can reduce water pollution would be to minimize the use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers (not disposing of these chemicals into sanitary sewers or storm sewer systems – both of them end at the river), not pouring fat, oil, or grease from cooking down the sink (keeping a “fat jar” to collect fat under the sink is a better option), don’t use the toilet as a wastebasket (tissues, wrappers, and other paper goods should be thrown away in the trash), try to avoid using a garbage disposal (compost solid waste items), run the dishwasher or clothes washer when you have a full load (will conserve water and electricity), and lastly, use the minimum amount of detergent when washing clothes or dishes (phosphate free soaps and detergents are better). Not only do these solutions benefit our water systems, but it also helps out humans as well. A lot of people are probably unaware of the ramifications that water pollution leaves for societies. Water pollution harms biodiversity and aquatic ecosystems. The toxic chemicals that are released into bodies of water can affect the color of the water and increase the amount of minerals (also known as eutrophication), which will negatively impact life in water. Thermal pollution is also something that people should keep in mind, which is the rise in temperature of bodies of water and will contribute to global warming and cause harm to water organisms. Not only does water pollution affect the environment, but also human health. People have gotten diseases from drinking or coming in contact with contaminated and dirty water, such as cholera, dysentery, diarrhea, typhoid, and skin infections. Stories about this environmental issue are usually told through the city news, whether it’s a news show or newspaper. My project tells and explains the story differently because I took a humanities-based approach to describe and engage with the issue.