In California, we are hunkering down in serious drought mode. Perhaps the worst drought cycle in living history. The past 18 months have been the driest recorded in 143 years of Northern California rainfall records. This is a reminder—if we haven’t already done so—that it’s time to radically change our relationship to water. Less is more. Conserve, conserve, conserve.
Every drop of water is precious. I know that most of you know this already. But we need to put what we know into radical practice, and share our water stories—in solidarity—if only to remind ourselves to be more diligent to keep our total usage under 50 gallons a day, which is still far too much.
Be proactive. Fix all those leaks, and use a bucket to catch any drips from faucets. Use a bucket to catch the cold water from the shower. Use a plug in the bathtub, or shower drain (or use a child’s wading pool as a catchment system) to catch the water to bail that water for the plants, or to flush the toilet.
This is the land of two-minute showers. Get wet, turn off the shower water. Lather up. Turn on the shower to rinse. Ditto that with the toothbrush drill. Turn off the water while you brush. Don’t shower daily. Your skin will thank you. Sponge baths were a thing until very recent times. And don’t be frivilous, wear clothing until it’s actually dirty, then launder it. Or be more like Jack Reacher.
Be innovative. If you aim it right, with velocity, you can use a quart to a half-gallon of water to dump the toilet, depending on the bowl model, and your aim. Perfect that velocity, and aim and trajectory. Please practice first with clean water. Ya don’t wanna know... If you have an old toilet, put bricks or half gallons of filled milk containers for displacement. I used three half-gallon containers, plus a brick and the old toilet still flushed. Do not, I repeat, do not use displacement rocks in the toilet tank. Sure. Go ahead. Ask me why. Not my finest moment.
It goes without saying, don’t flush for pee. Toss those twatwipes in the trash, don’t clog the sewer pipes. Listen for unauthorized running water in the pipes. Maybe it’s your toilet having a secret inner life. It happens. Maybe it’s time to kick it to the curb, make it into a planter, and get a low flush toilet.
Think different. Use a wash basin for your dishes, and carry the water out to the garden. Don’t forget to collect those stray forks and spoons from the flowerbeds. Especially if they’re silver. Yes. Your plants may like the gesture that you’re offering them genuine silver cutlery but they really can’t use them as they have no hands. And if they’re fruits and vegetables, you might hurt their feelings. Use biodegradable soap or original Dawn, not detergent.
Back in the 1970s, when I worked for a family in Belvedere, I rigged the washing machine so that all the water went into a big plastic garbage can on a dolly, and I wheeled it into the garden. That was back in the days of phosphate soap. None of the plants died. However they did develop a lint problem. Kill the fn lawn already. Plant native species. Every drop counts. You know the drill. We got this.
What are your water saving tricks and strategies?
see also:
No comments:
Post a Comment