Grey water activist, water conservationist, smarty-pants: these are all names we call people who do cool things with water, like save it. Recycling water, cleaning water, collecting water, diverting water downhill, using water for energy, reusing shower water for gardens, taking cold showers... short, cold showers and washing our clothes in the least amount of water possible with white vinegar and baking soda or biodegradable detergent. Voting, yes! when it comes to a cleaner pond or river and freerunning stream and saying yes! I support a bright clean ocean and respect to all its creatures.
So this means taking the extra step and doing something about it yourself when it comes to doing something good for water and that big ole ball o' blue we all live on- like harvesting rainwater. All it takes are a few large barrels and window screen, a cistern, perhaps and some hose. You can rig up an extra little filtration or let Nature do the work, if you have the room in your backyard to put in a series of small ponds for lillies and plants and fish to recycle and clean the greywater for you.
Here's a story about a guy farming in the city using rainwater and 'urban drool' to water the plants! Fascinating!
http://www.harvestingrainwater.com/2008/08/23/farming-in-the-city-with-r...
So what are we talking about here? Farming in your urban apartment dwelling environment? Yes. Absolutely. Pots, pans, balconies, rooftops, and ask the landlord about growing stuff on the lawn- the works! Houses, yes. Garden all over the place. Grow your own food and water it with rainwater. Wash your dishes with rainwater. Wash your cars with rainwater. Just get some big plastic barrels and set them up. Use biodegradable soap all the time anyway. Trees are our friends. Why use synthetic when there's have a chance it could end up in run off into some field growing the lettuce you eat in your fancy salad at the fancy restaurant downtown who only serves local ingredients! Now that's good principles! Never be afraid of the karma police again when you choose 'biodegradable!'
Get renegade with your landlord too if you have too, don't be afraid. Its all about Victory Gardens right now. Just tell him the White House is doing it and if you don't start gardening on the roof or where that neglected landscaping is over there in that sunny area- well, that is just not American. Its treason. Treason to the country and to the rest of the world. You have cats don't you? Grow 'em some catnip so they'll get off your back with all that nervous, over-demanding nuisance for affection and while you're at it grow yourself a patch of hops and make yourself some beer. What can be more holy than making your own beer? This is yet another reason to harvest rainwater, to better grow your hops and barely with. You like wine better? Me, too. Let's grow some grapes! How hard can it be, eh? Just add (harvested rain)water!
Not only is it smart, economical, earth friendly, and a good use of time- it can be a social thing, too. There are lots of gardening groups and classes and people who meet to support one another when it comes to community gardening and urban sustainability. You could find these people and join them. I bet, they too, would like to drink some of your homebrew. They could be your newest most interesting friends you've met in a long time and you all have this thing in common, this really current, really hip thing in common which, is being aware of your health and the earth by taking a stand to garden and collect rainwater, any way possible. You garden together in P-patch's and community gardens, you meet at arboreteum's for teas and tours to talk about your gardens and plan potlocks to consume grilled summer squash lasagne with smoked gouda, blueberry pies with mint ice cream made from raw milk from the Amish farm closeby, and you play croquet and.... talk about harvesting rain. The beauty of dawn over virgin clean lakes, just at the start of fall when migration begins. The sanctity of Nature and the awe-inspiring visions of Nature at her best throughout the seasons, unfettered by the ugly marr of greed and human carelessness.
You all know the bottom line is what matters, that is- survival. How much longer do we have on the planet before we destroy ourselves through climate change, incinerating all the snow from every mountain range inland thus creating a planet more like the scorching hell of Venus! Wars fought over water sources! You do know the United Nations has a map for this probability, right?! They have predictions of over 150,000 'flashpoints' of where war could potentially erupt over water once the world has been plunged into the hottest tempers it has ever seen and we are swimming in sun. You should see all the flashpoints in the United States. Billions of people driven inland because the ice caps have melted and the sea level rose by 40 feet. Disease running rampant. Drought. Squalor. Thirst. Regret. Is that what you want? Of course not. No one wants that. That's why we're gonna catch our rainwater and grow some tomatoes. Okay, let's save the world people. Do a little research on how to get buck wild with your rainwater and kitchen garden.
Remember, you don't have to be alone on this. There are other heroes out there.
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/local_chapters
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