After going through a summer and fall of severe drought in Massachusetts, I wholeheartedly support the idea of Northampton as a Blue Community.
I’m old enough to remember a time when the home faucet and public water fountains were completely sufficient to satisfy one’s needs. Now the convenience of disposable plastic water bottles is taken for granted, but the environmental cost of wasted fossil fuel (for the production of plastic and transportation of bottled water) and polluted waterways (from unrecycled bottles) is too high.
I’ve lived in western Massachusetts for 40 years and deeply love the beauty of its forests, rivers and wildlife. In the interconnected web of farmers, businesses, tourism, hunters and fisherman, we all depend on a reliable source of safe, plentiful water.
Let’s be the water protectors of western Massachusetts and safeguard water for the community and for future generations.
Northampton can be a pioneer by adopting resolutions that recognize access to water and sanitation as fundamental human rights, protect the water and watersheds in this community, ban the use of bottled water in municipal facilities and events and promote public ownership of water resources.
Lou Peugh
Florence