I think most people would agree that if you see a problem, you should fix it. I guess that's the simplest explanation for what I'm doing in China. Whether it's shortage, pollution, or allocation, the chief environmental crisis plaguing this great country and ultimately setting the limits on growth all comes down to water. I am here to work with Chinese people in fixing these problems. They are hardly unique to China - on the contrary, they are being dealt with worldwide, as urbanization and population growth put more and more pressure on an already limited supply of fresh water.

　　What sets China apart from other countries, however, is its unprecedented pace of development -swhereselse in the world do new highrises seem to sprout up virtually overnight? On top of this, there are the additional construction and the population influx that Beijing in particular will face because of the 2008 Olympics. Beijing's water supply is already under grave stress: the Miyun Reservoir, which previously supplied much of the city's water, is critically low and the quality of its water is declining. The city's water table also drops markedly every year; this not only puts further pressure on water quantity, but also causes the city to sink, as the weakening ground becomes less and less able to support the growing city's weight. Thus there are strong economic and environmental reasons for rectifying Beijing's water shortage and pollution now, before it is really too late.

　　That'sswheresYOU come in. You the reader, your family, friends, classmates and colleagues: every member of this community has an active role to play in effecting positive change. Do you turn the water off while you brush your teeth and wash the dishes? Are you quick to repair leaky faucets and running toilets? Notice the canals in your community: do they appear healthy or are they smelly and discolored?

　　Change begins with education; however, it is only realized through action. I'm working in Beijing with Betsy Damon, an ecological designer and founder of an American-based NGO called Keepers of the Waters. The goal of her organization is to bring together people of all ages and disciplines to initiate projects that restore and preserve water sources in visible, educational, and culturally significant ways. To help spread this philosophy in Beijing, we've teamed up with Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots organization, which has an active environmental education program in numerous schools throughout this city and worldwide.

　　Recently we held a successful daylong workshop that was attended by local primary and secondary school teachers as well as several university students representing the environmental groups on their campuses. The workshop was unique: To convey how critical water is to the survival of society, we showed to what an extent our bodies are water and how the natural environment also revolves around it. We depicted the intimate connection between the functions of the human body and water, and further showed how human systems have parallels in nature. Our participants were amazed that, when shown on the same scale, the human cardiovascular system of veins and arteries and an aerial view of a river system were so much alike as to be indistinguishable. We also showed them the similarities between a human bone and a tree. Nerves, when a person experiences pleasure, look relaxed and have many curves, like a healthy river that also has numerous bends and curves. We contrasted these with a picture of a nerve straight and stiff as it feels pain; alongside it we placed a picture of a river that has been manipulated by human engineering and rendered straight, unhealthy and lifeless.

　　Once our participants had gained a new appreciation for water, the urgent need to protect this precious resource became plain to them. We followed up by spending some time thinking about concrete projects that they could undertake with their students or green groups.

　　Many great project ideas were voiced that day and some are already getting underway. A secondary school in Tianjin is beginning a campus greening project and wants to include greywater treatment as well as rainwater collection in their plan. Students from a local university are campaigning to reduce the water usage in their bathhouses. Currently, students pay one price for a shower of unlimited length, which invariably leads to waste. Their approach to cutting waste includes changing the pricing scheme and replacing the showerheads in their bathhouses with a water-saving type.

　　Ultimately, our goal is for Keepers of the Waters and Roots and Shoots to implement water-related community action projects that are carried out by local schools. These projects could include adopting and restoring a local waterway, testing and monitoring water quality, implementing greywater treatment systems or creating educational material on water conservation. Not only would their work provide a great service to the city but also offer a matchless opportunity for hands-on experiential learning for the students. We intend to link Beijing schools with partner schools in the US that are actively involved in water protection and conservation projects. This alliance will foster the international exchange of ideas, information, questions and success stories.

　　Albert Einstein once said: "You can't solve a problem with the same kind of thinking that created it in the first place." Do you have an idea for a project, a desire to act for change, or questions you want answered? (Ashley Murray)