Practice easy, everyday water conservation tactics so water will be there when you need it.

The Ganges River, shown here, is in danger, and that has worldwide repercussions. Photo courtesy of Expedition: Blue Planet.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—If you live in a place like India, you can stare the water crisis in the face. Once-fertile farmland is now withered and cracked, thanks to unforgiving drought and a “Green Revolution” that promoted chemical agriculture. Along the Ganges River, nearly 3 dozen pipes dump raw, untreated sewage into the river, threatening the health of millions of people. In the United States, the water crisis may not be as blatant, but it’s just as real. Alexandra Cousteau, explorer, clean water activist, and granddaughter of the legendary Jacques Cousteau, says Americans are already experiencing the trickle-down effect of the clean water shortage in the form of polluted water supplies and tainted food. “Water scarcity will continue to worsen in America in the coming decades as our water resources are increasingly depleted,” she warns.

THE DETAILS: Last month’s weeklong World Water Forum held in Istanbul, Turkey, brought together leaders and advocates to discuss water policy at a time when more than a billion people lack access to clean water and 2.5 billion people are without water for proper sanitation. Cousteau, who is also an advisor to Rodale.com, took part in the event, making a stop in her 100-day “Expedition: Blue Planet” journey across five continents to explore the most critical water issues of our time.

Cousteau and crew have completed the first leg of her tour, visiting India, Botswana, and Jordan. Her message will hit closer to home for Americans next week, when she reaches the Mississippi River to discuss the impacts of using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers to grow our food. “The primary life support system on this planet is being mismanaged, polluted, and overused,” says Cousteau. “Water will be the primary vehicle through which climate change will be felt, whether through drought and desertification, floods and increased severity of storms, melting poles and glaciers, as well as rising sea levels.”

WHAT IT MEANS: Clean water is essential to civilization. Without it, we can’t exist. And the indisputable fact is that we’re all connected by the blue stuff. Choices made on the other side of the planet affect us, and vice versa. “Acid rain from coal-fired power plants in China falls on America’s fields and taints its food and water supplies,” says Cousteau. “Glaciers melting in the Himalayas will mean a lack of fresh water for one-third of the people on the planet in just 20 years.” As the glaciers retreat, the consequent lack of a persistent source of fresh water for so many people is likely to put pressure on agriculture systems as far away as the U.S., she says.

Use these tips from Alexandra Cousteau to make sure there’s enough clean water for all of us now and for future generations.