BY: CLAIRE KIM
Last night, I watched the Fourth of July fireworks from a nice rooftop view in Cupertino Square. I haven’t seen fireworks in the last two years because of my summer vacation plans, so it was nice seeing them again after a while. What’s really funny, is that in those last two years of 2015 and 2016, there actually wasn’t any fireworks show event at all. The reasoning behind this is because of the severe drought California was facing which prohibited this event to take place. It’s somewhat nice to hear that I didn’t miss the shows, but it’s also quite depressing to know that the drought was this bad.
Because of this extreme drought that has been occurring in the last two years, California has suffered quite a bit. I remember when I went on a road trip to LA and I saw all the water in the reservoir dried up to the bottom. After hearing the new water usage plans for California, I was really taken aback.
The thought of having to maybe drink filtered toilet water regularly was beyond my imagination. I mean I know it may not be that shocking, but to me personally, it’s quite a decision. This year, I was actually supposed to go to Yosemite for a week with my grade, but it got canceled because of too much snow and rain. So in a way, it did leave me with questions as to why water was still an issue.
Now, I’ve realized that I was only looking at the present, instead of the future. If we don’t take care of our water usage now, it just might be harder later when we are actually in the crisis. I read that at least “83% of Californians” are satisfied with this solution, so that’s a green light. I actually think it’s a good idea that will grow on me more in the years to come. It’s very innovative which I think is something we all try to surpass these days anyways.
claire kim. 