Water Relay

Water is life.

Water is one of the most abundant substances on our planet, yet it’s still a resource not fully protected, accessible, or valued in our society. As humans, we’re composed of up to 60% water, yet we lack respect for our bodies when we support oil, gas, and coal that infect our water supply and infiltrate our bodies.

Water is life.

Line 3, a proposed massive tar sands pipeline that would carry crude oil across 337 miles of Minnesota land and water, is anti-water. This project lacks any intrinsic value for any form of life. The pipeline’s host, Enbridge, a privately owned Canadian energy company, views water as a commodity; however, water should have no price tag nor should it be objectified. Water has sacred and healing powers, but these powers are unable to heal the destruction that this pipeline and Enbridge would inflict. Line 3 must be stopped.

With the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency currently considering whether to issue water crossing permits for Line 3, the theme for the Relay for Our Water is to achieve justice for Indigenous communities, local communities, native plants and animals, and our Mother Earth. We hope that a relay for water will bring a new perspective to climate activism and awareness to prominent issues while exploring the sacred identity of water in our own lives and others.

Water is life.

We all have the moral obligation to protect our natural resources for present and future generations. Pipelines have a high chance of spill, which can result in more than 25 miles of contaminated water, biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, and environmental degradation. These consequences are extremely difficult to restore and can take up to 15 years to fully repair. The pipeline also is in direct contradiction of Minnesota’s ”25 by 25 Water Quality Goal” of improving Minnesota’s water quality by 25% by the year 2025.

Water is life.

As humans, we must understand the intrinsic value of water. Our relationship to water is ancestral; it connects our present to our past and can shape our future. Our ancestors once lived, breathed, collected, drank, and utilized water. Although our understandings, experiences, and cultures may differ, we must agree that we wouldn’t be where we are without the role of water in our daily lives.

Water is life.

Through the collaboration of MN350, RISE Coalition, Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light, Sierra Club, and other local, state, and national organizations, a water relay is taking place throughout Minnesota. On August 3, the water started its journey from the headwaters of the Mississippi River and has been traveling since then. The relay was inspired by the Mother Earth Water Walkers founded by Josephine Mandamin. Due to the sacredness of this water, this journey was taken reverently, keeping Anishinaabe culture in mind. Participants held this vessel of water close, interacted with it, prayed with it, loved it. The joy-filled energy flowed up and down the river, spreading the sacred theme all around Minnesota.

So how does this campaign work? You have the ability to receive the water from a previous individual or group. You can first request to be a water host and follow along on a virtual navigation system where the water is located. Once you’ve found a remote location near you, you and the previous carrier communicate a time for them to pass you the water. After a couple days of hosting the water, you transport the water to another host by walking, hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, biking, or any other clean forms of transportation (to limit the consumption of fossil fuels that pollute and contaminate water).

As more people carry and host the sacred water throughout Minnesota, we acknowledge the intersectionality of all people. A relay for water embodies “movement” and “energy,” which is required to continue the fight for clean water and human rights. The water protectors fighting Line 3 and other fossil fuels for generations have built a movement that this relay builds upon, connecting the people to the movement and maintaining pressure against Line 3.

Let this opportunity open your soul to the possible connection between your existence and the value of water. Let your personal reflection continue into actions: contacting state officials, putting up stop Line 3 lawn signs, donating to local organizations, sharing on social media, and more. This is a unique moment of intersecting solidarity, celebration, and commitment to protecting the water – utilize it and let it overcome everything you know. Let it be a bigger deal than it is – you could find that divine revelation you may have been looking for.

Water is life.

Jack Pieper is a Wisconsin-raised, Minnesota-at-heart activist who was a Pipeline Resistance Team intern for the summer of 2020. Jack is a senior, Environmental Studies major at the College of Saint Benedict | Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Jack is passionate for climate and social justice, artivism, and iced coffee.