My two school communities cannot differ any more at first glance. Cate is located atop a scorched mesa and made up of different nationalities pursuing educational opportunities; whereas, Ban Wiang Wai is on a lush tropical valley with Shans seeking refuge from ethnic cleansing. Upon a closer look, however, both communities have something in common: water shortage. We have adapted remarkably well by showering with timers at Cate and hauling water from the river to Ban Wiang Wai. While we’ve learnt to conserve water, the same can’t be said for those water-guzzlers and polluters surrounding our community, especially the super farms in Southern California and Northwest Thailand. I know that water scarcity occurs around the world and varies greatly due to natural forces beyond our control. Yet I see it as a human rights issue in need of better governance. So I’m sampling water around Carpinteria with Stream Team to pressure the Santa Barbara Water Board for tighter regulations. I also pressured the Fang District officials to build a long-promised groundwater well at Ban Wiang Wai by offering to install water filtration system and creating Water Fillup Station with the grant money from Mark Metherell ’87 Service Challenge. While I cannot resolve this global issue alone, I hope to change two communities at a time.