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# 3 Water and #4 Interconnectedness
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#3 Water
Have you ever wondered who owns the Rain? I'm Jan Edwards and this is the Tapestry of the Commons.
No one owns the rain, do they? What about the rain falling on your house...or in your yard? Do you own that rain? What about the rain that falls right into your barrel? Is that yours? Or is it someone else's?
In Bolivia, farmers were shocked to find out that the rain that fell into their rain barrels was owned by Bechtel, an American corporation. And it wasn't just the rain, but all the local water Bechtel claimed was theirs. Overnight, water bills jumped and poor families were suddenly forced to spend a quarter of their income on water. So thousands of Bolivians took to the streets to tell the world, their government, and the multi-nationals, that no one can own Water. Water is not property. It shouldn't be treated like a commodity to be bought and sold. Water is a Common for us all to share. And its getting scarce.
Water is an vital issue because nothing can live without it. Our very bodies are made mostly of Water. In fact, all the worlds Water is really one big Water flowing through every living thing. Humans must share it with each other and with all the plants and animals on this earth.
So, what if a Bolivian farmer had taken a drink from the rain barrel, and the Water became part of his body, would Bechtel claim to own him as well?
After four days of protest, the Bolivian government responded to the people and the Bechtel Corporation had their contract rescinded. But the story of Water privatization is just beginning.
The Tapestry of the Commons is made possible by the Alliance
for Democracy.
To learn more about the Commons and Water visit our website at
www.TapestryoftheCommons.org
I'm Jan Edwards
For More Information on the Water Commons
#4 Interconnectedness
Is it time for a Declaration of Interdependence?
I'm Jan Edwards and this is the Tapestry of the Commons.
An Injury to One is an Injury to All. This old labor slogan reminds us that we are all connected and united. But it applies to more than just a workers' union. It could just as well be used to explain the interconnectedness of the Natural Commons.
An Injury to any part of the Commons is an injury to all the rest of the Commons. If toxic fumes are released into the air, the wind spreads it to the lungs of all the creatures that breathe. If a stream is poisoned, that poison spreads and every living thing that drinks that water will also be poisoned.
Clearcutting a forest affects much more than just the trees. Many plants and animals that live in the forest lose lives and homes. The forest can no longer produce oxygen. And when it rains, soil is washed into the rivers killing the fish.... because there are no trees to stop the erosion. So there are no fish for the seals to eat. None for the fisherman to catch.
This isn't by any means new information...we've heard it all before. But it bears repeating in this time of unprecedented extinction of species.
An injury to one of the members of the Commons is an injury to all members of the Commons. For that is what we are: members in a union of all creation. So let's show our solidarity with the other members.
The Tapestry of the Commons is made possible by the Alliance
for Democracy.
To learn more about the Commons and how we are all interconnected,
visit our website at www.TapestryoftheCommons.org
I'm Jan Edwards
More Information on Interconnectedness