7 Recommended reads for world water day

By Peter Annin, Codirector of the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation and author of The Great Lakes Water Wars.

1. Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Marc Reisner (1993)

The definitive history of water resources in the American West, and a very illuminating lesson in the political economy of limited resources anywhere.

2. Paddle-to-the-Sea, Holling C. Holling (1941)

An oldie and one for children, but still one of the best resources of Great Lakes geography and the watershed education. In it, a young First Nation boy carves a toy canoe with a figure inside and names him Paddle-to-the-Sea. Paddle’s journey through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean provides an excellent historical record of the region.

3. The Big Thirst: The SecretDuring the movement of aircraft and other large machinery, equipment, trucks and boats, the line of sight of tug operators is typically limited. As such, many individuals may be employed to help direct and warn tug operators of impending collisions. However, prior art devices and methods have been disadvantageous in adequately controlling these expensive and sometimes fatal mistakes. For instance, in the airline industry, aircraft, in the United States alone, are tugged from gates and hangers many times per day. In addition to the numerous on-the-job injuries that result due to tug related accidents, millions of dollars are lost each day when an aircraft inadvertently collides with other aircraft, service vehicles or buildings. Costly repairs, inspections, investigations, flight delays, lost revenues, lost passenger confidence and employee injuries make