Photo taken by Bwana Brown

According to the New York Times, this week the U.S. Geological Survey reported that two more glaciers have disappeared from Glacier National Park. Only 25 named glaciers remain, most of which are not expected to last through the decade due to global warming.

There were once 157 glaciers in the park, but now we might as well call it High and Dry National Park because the ice is melting and is not coming back.

Why do melting glaciers matter? Melting glaciers mean less available water. Think of glaciers as reservoirs. Water collects on mountains in the form of snow and is stored as ice. When summer comes, especially if it’s a warm and dry summer, that ice can melt and be used to keep us going. In the same way homeowners exacerbated a global economic collapse by tapping into hypothetical equity in their homes to pay for daily life, we have been tapping into our glaciers for water as the planet has warmed. What happens when those glaciers are completely gone? We’ll see drastic changes to the flow of water in our rivers and will have less to use at home and in industry.

Disappearing glaciers around the world highlight a problem that we are going to have to address in a variety of ways. We burn too much stuff. We use too much electricity. There are inefficiencies in the system that waste resources. As glaciers melt and water becomes scarce, the fact that it takes 400 to 800 gallons of water to make a brand new t-shirt is that much more shocking.

LOOPTWORKS thinks that one positive way forward is to start taking the waste out of the system by finding uses for excess. That’s why everything we make is upcycled from material left on the cutting room floor. By using 100% industrial excess we save energy, prevent greenhouse gases from being released into the air, and conserve water. LOOPTWORKS might not be able to save the glaciers, but if everyone upcycles his or her thinking we can make a path toward living sustainably.

For ideas about how to save water, go to Global Water Challenge or share your own here.

We want to keep the conversation going and keep you up to date on news involving upcycling, water and excess. Check back here often for more about these issues and what LOOPTWORKS plans to do about them.