Sandra Postel

She didn't start out as a guru, but since the publication of her book Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity (Norton) in 1992, Sandra Postel has become one. Now director of the Global Water Policy Project in Amherst, Massachusetts, Postel has become one of the world's leading authorities on how the world uses water, and how it can conserve for the future. "I've been involved in water issues since I left graduate school," Postel says. "I've always had this fascination with water and a feeling of connection to it. Maybe it has something to do with growing up near the ocean on the south shore of Long Island, but it's been my principal passion for a long time now."

Last Oasis was made into a documentary, narrated by Alfre Woodard, that aired in 1997 on PBS as the last installment of the four-part series Cadillac Desert. Postel is a former vice president for research at the Worldwatch Institute, and has served as a consultant to the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme. As a visiting professor at many colleges, she has lectured on water quality and international conservation efforts. Knowing what she does about water pollution, does Postel drink straight from the tap? Yes, indeed, she says. "Here in Amherst, I think it's fine. I know exactly where my water is coming from--a protected swamp."

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