Take Action Now!

Explore the real magic and beauty of Florida.  

Take a moment to consider the “ecological services” springs, wetlands and the aquifer provide to us 24 hours a day.  In addition to maintaining habitats for a stunning array of plants and animals, natural wetlands are the most efficient and cost-effective systems for storing, cleaning and recharging fresh water.  The aquifer provides water for springs, lakes, rivers and estuaries, as well as drinking water for the vast majority of Floridans.  Unlike many people in the world, we really do live in an aqueous paradise of beautiful, accessible and affordable fresh water.  Yet our supply is finite and degrading rapidly as a direct result of pollution and overconsumption.

Be mindful of our water footprint, every day.  Everything we do costs water, from irrigating and turning on lights to deciding what to eat for dinner.  It’s up to us to make smart water choices, every day. 

Lawns and landscaping account for half the water used by Florida households.  Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are polluting our springs, lakes, rivers and coastal waters.  Native plants and grasses don’t need irrigation or chemical fertilizers to sustain them.  It’s our choice, Florida: Do we want artificially green lawns or naturally blue springs? 

Volunteer or donate to organizations working on springs restoration, education and land conservation. How we live on the land directly impacts the health and flow of our waters.  Local groups are particularly well-suited to understand water issues from direct experience, fight for realistic solutions based on sound science and the law, and work within community dynamics.  See our Resources pages for listings.

Support Florida farmerswho use water wisely, grow the right crop in the right place at the right time, and avoid synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Shop local and buy organic whenever possible.  The qualityof our food directly impacts the quality of our water.  

Remember, many agricultural practices, like many businesses and social programs, are subsidized by our tax dollars.  We get to choose which practices and products are in our wisest long-term interests to support.  For example, growing sod and ornamental plants (the largest sector of Florida’s agricultural production) is not a good use of our water.  On the front end, these crops require intensive irrigation and fertilizer to grow, and on the back end, require intensive irrigation and fertilizer to maintain as lawns and landscaping.  A far better alternative would be to plant native trees and other crops that require no chemical fertilizer and little or no irrigation.  Solutions do exist, but we have to choose them.

Are our water managers and elected officials promoting polluter profits or protecting public waters?   To learn more about the science, history and current situation of our springs and aquifer, see our Resources pages, join us on Facebook, and discuss the issues on Aquiferious.

Tell them we want clean water, not green water.  Overuse of water and pollution from chemical fertilizers and pesticides, human septic and animal waste, stormwater runoff and industrial discharge are polluting Florida’s waters.  Human and natural systems are interdependent; we can’t clean up one without the other.  We get to decide: Do we want to eat and drink, live and play in, a toxic soup?  Or healthy, vibrant ecosystems?  

Saving our springs and aquifer is an issue of democracy as well as ethics.  Ensuring access to clean and abundant water for everyone, for all life, is a mandate for civic, economic and public health.  The quality of our personal lives is inseparable from our collective well being.

Attend Water Management District meetings and other public venues where decisions affecting springs are made, write letters to the paper, stay in touch with elected representatives, produce media and share widely.

Vote as if the fate of our springs hangs in the balance.  It does.

Dream and scheme, initiate and collaborate.  We can all learn from the springs, becoming voices for wise water use.  The future of the springs, like our own, depends upon it.