written by Jack Rose

Children are confronted with a lot of concerns today that, frankly, I never had to deal with when I was a kid. Paul Simon wrote a song to comfort his daughter at bedtime. He sang:

“I believe the light that shines on you will shine on you forever”

I believe the same thing - and my message to you today is this: The one resource we will never run out of is you – your imagination, your creativity, your wonder and hope. Each new generation has specific challenges to face, but just remember this: There are no unsolvable problems.

My father’s generation ate problems for breakfast. They built a road across the entire continent. When a giant canyon appeared in their path they did not whine or whimper – they invented a bridge. In every field of science and medicine and exploration, at the edge of every chasm, they built a bridge. This is your lineage . . . You will do the same. There is no limit to your imagination.

Many people will tell you there isn’t enough - that we are running out, that things are getting worse, that the future will be less than today. This is not true.

Some people have forgotten that a problem is something to be solved, not feared.

Have you heard the story about the truck that got stuck in a tunnel?. . . A big ‘ol truck was roaring towards New York City when it rammed into the Lincoln Tunnel at 70 miles per hour. The truck was too tall and got very extremely stuck and the cars backed up for miles. You can imagine the traffic jam.

The fire department showed up to help. Then the Army Corps of Engineers - along with many others. With cranes and saws and jackhammers all tried to get the truck unstuck from the tunnel. But to no avail. Finally, after several hours, an 8 year old girl walked up from the long line of cars and said, “Why don’t you let the air out of the tires?”

You are today – all kids all over the world – you are the brilliant ones who will say, “Why don’t you let the air out of the tires?” There are no unsolvable problems. Let me give an example: Every week we hear about the ‘World Water Shortage’ - yet alongside these stories we see photos of floods...?

A friend of mine says, “If we catch the rain that creates the floods, there would be no water shortage, there would be more than enough for everyone. He’s always reminding me that there isn’t a shortage of water given, just a shortage of water received”

If every school caught the rain that fell on it’s roof, kids all around the world would have plenty of clean water to drink. It’s as simple as letting the air out of the tires.We are told there’s a shortage of water, but what we really have is an abundance. . . a flood.

Enough water is freely given for all if we simply put a bucket under a rainstorm.
And enough energy is freely given from the sun and the wind and the ocean and the earth.

You do not need to fear the future, you are the future.

And I see no limit to the creative ideas that will come to you in this lifetime. It is a great and exciting time to be alive and I believe “The light that shines on you today will shine on you forever.“ Let it rain. . . Life is good. . . So be it

Starbucks is a good model for what we are attempting to do with RainCatcher - 11 stores 20 years ago - today over 16,000. Starbucks generates billions of dollars in sales by selling an ordinary product, coffee, in an extraordinary way.

We are proposing to do the same with drinking water. From Maui to Nairobi to Santa Monica people will be able to enjoy a local product. And every time they do this, someone less fortunate gets a drink as well. After people become familiar with the taste and quality and environmental positives of harvesting and using rainwater they will then be able to turn their houses into RainCatchers and, with the coming of the next rains, go from being a water consumer to a water producer. RainCatcher households will have cases of their own glass bottles to fill from a tap in their kitchen - and keep a full case in the car at all times - and the empties go through the dishwasher and get refilled.

Simply by turning the umbrella upside down we have already begun the water revolution here
in California - with plans to bring bottled rainwater to every corner of the earth. Our first RainCatcher Bottling Plants are being designed right now for sites in the Santa Monica Mountains and Kenya. Already, we have people in other states around the country waiting to become a franchise partner. People all around the world are waiting to work with us on this project.

Throughout Africa and India and China it’s a matter of life-and-death.

That’s why we are expanding our efforts now.When it comes to rainwater the cup is neither half empty or half full, it’s overflowing. With a great sense of joy we are catching and sharing this amazing abundant natural resource.

Jack Rose & Mark Armfield - 2008 – the year of gratitude