I met Laura Petrosillo, a French citizen living and working in San Francisco, in the Visitors Center in Yellowstone Park. We were both sitting out an afternoon thunderstorm. Laura and her boyfriend Olivier invited me to dinner that evening. The next day I headed north while these European lovers of all things American headed to Cody, Wyoming, home of Wild Bill Hitchcock.

This week, Laura sent me a response to my question. The first of what may be many to focus on an issue very close to the surface of the West: water.

How will we live tomorrow?

“One thing I think we we’ll be fighting for in the next couple years is potable water. In appearance, it looks like we will always have access to drinking water but I am worried that one day it will become a luxury and we could end up in a water conflict. In California, with the impressive drought, we are starting to be more conscious about this resource, stickers for saving water started to appear in public restrooms for example. Some people are evolving and changing their habits. Sadly other people just don’t care. Worldwide, we will have to change our habits. Hopefully this evolution will be smooth and governments and organizations will help in good ways.”