{"id":6353,"date":"2011-11-24T02:00:15","date_gmt":"2011-11-24T10:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blitransfer.wpengine.com\/?p=6353"},"modified":"2017-06-21T14:20:47","modified_gmt":"2017-06-21T19:20:47","slug":"thanksgiving-gratitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelivingideas.com\/2011\/11\/24\/thanksgiving-gratitude\/","title":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving Gratitude"},"content":{"rendered":"
by Morgan Rusnak<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a>With Thanksgiving only a few days away, it\u2019s hard not to be taking inventory of the things we\u2019re thankful for: Friends, family, a great education and the privilege of clean drinking water. Thanksgiving is a perfect way to celebrate the beauty of water and the power of sustainability.<\/p>\n Even though it\u2019s long been regarded as a gluttonous and excessive tradition, Thanksgiving really makes me appreciate the seemingly simple concept of water. Living about a block away from Lake Michigan, it\u2019s easy to take this kind of resource for granted.<\/p>\n At the same time, it\u2019s refreshing to take a step back and think about how deeply a city\u2019s culture can be rooted in its natural resources. In some areas of the world, a lake or a river will never represent clean, safe drinking water like it does for me. In some places, \u2018the lakefront\u2019 isn\u2019t home to miles of beautiful parks or harbors — it\u2019s a blighted, contaminated reminder that water can\u2019t be wasted.<\/p>\n I\u2019m also thankful that I have the resources to educate people about water sustainability and why it\u2019s important. Especially in water-rich regions, it\u2019s crucial to get people impassioned with caring about their water usage.<\/p>\n This Thanksgiving, be thankful for the water we can so easily take advantage of. From drinking and cooking to boating and recreation to simply having a beautiful natural resource to marvel at.<\/p>\n Take a minute and tell someone why water is so important to you. Encourage them to focus on their own sustainability and water conservation efforts. Empower someone to appreciate water in a brand new way.<\/p>\n Morgan Rusnak is finishing up a major in Social Welfare & Justice and a minor in Social Entrepreneurship at Marquette University. She works with H2O Score<\/a>, empowering consumers, businesses and communities to take control of their water usage and understand why it’s important to promote water sustainability.<\/em><\/p>\n