[SustainableTompkins] why save water?

Thu Feb 28 10:00:22 PST 2008

I think conservation in one area helps you conserve in other areas too. Just
because (hypothetically) I had an endless supply of water, if I get used to
using less water, then I will use less bath products, less cleaning
products, producing less trash, and therefore be buying less from oversees
companies, or reducing my support for corporations that run these places and
rely on foreign workers in poor conditions. So using less water DOES affect
others in the world (and maybe instead of just getting rid of their jobs a
new green job can take the place of that?)

So there may not be a direct impact by reducing water, but the savings
trickles down to other areas and shows a real benefit and reason for
conserving water.

Also, with population rising, we should all be planning on using the same
amount of resources (or less, like WAY less) divided among the same amount
of people. What I'm saying is that the available resources for an individual
will reduce as the population increases, so getting used to using less now
will help in the future, instead of waiting for it to be forced upon
yourself. 

Andy Goodell
1894 Charlotte Creek Road
Oneonta, NY 13820
(603) 831-0356
http://geekguyandy.com

-----Original Message-----
From: sustainabletompkins-bounces at lists.mutualaid.org
[mailto:sustainabletompkins-bounces at lists.mutualaid.org] On Behalf Of marlo
capoccia
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 11:17 AM
To: Sustainable Tompkins County listserv
Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] why save water?

on principle i think water conservation is important, but i really feel as
if a more compelling argument would need to be made overall for me to really
pay attention to what i'm doing.  we do token things like not flushing too
often (mellow yellow), turn off water when we brush, don't shower every day-
but if i were going to do any graywater use for my city water i would really
want to feel like there was some tangible reason.  i can't see how being
really careful benefits people in other parts of the world.

this isn't to say water conservation is not important, just that i don't see
it yet and can't advocate for it (or even be very cautious
myself) because i don't truly understand it.  it has to be more than
philosophical...

-marlo
On Feb 28, 2008, at 10:26 AM, senecajean at aol.com wrote:

> Margaret's points about water and climate change are?excellent.? 
> Even where water seems abundant (for now) water conservation is always 
> vital. The world as a whole faces a very severe water crisis?
> from drought and from?increasingly toxic water, as is of course known. 
> In The?Great Turning, David Korten?mentioned a UNICEF statistic that 
> some 400+ million children around the world lack access to safe 
> water.???
>
> Conserving water is a responsiblity not only to our own changing 
> situation but a responsibility to the world, especially to the most 
> vulnerable.
>
> Jeanne
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Margaret McCasland <mmccasla at twcny.rr.com>
> To: Sustainable Tompkins County listserv 
> <sustainabletompkins at lists.mutualaid.org>
> Sent: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 5:00 pm
> Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] why save water?
>
>
>
> I am more concerned about the chemicals and "embodied energy" in 
> shampoos etc and in their packaging than I am with water per se--now 
> that I am back on city water.
>
> And of course the energy used to heat water matters.
>
> But we are very lucky here in the city of Ithaca; most of the city's 
> water is surface water on its way to the lake via gravity, all it does 
> is take a detour through our houses. (However it is getting 
> contaminated on the way.)  So water per se isn't the issue.  But 
> effects on the lake do matter.  All those chemicals add up once they 
> get to the lake, where they concentrate over time.  Cayuga is too deep 
> to "flush" much of its water to the ocean (via the St.
> Lawrence).  the Cayuga Watershed folks know more about this than I do.
>
> For folks on wells, water may become an issue even around here.  I 
> still own a house in the Town of Ithaca with wells, and the water 
> table seems to be dropping there; there is lots more sediment than 
> ever before (like from the bottom of my wells).  I blame it on climate 
> change.
>
> Global warming may mean more snow around here (warmer lakes mean more 
> lake effect snow), but the snow doesn't stay around for long; the 
> temperature keeps going above freezing.  But in winter, the melting 
> snow doesn't soak into frozen ground to recharge the ground water.
>
> In the good old days in rural areas (say, over 10 years ago--I've 
> lived here since 1964), snow that fell in late fall was usually still 
> around until April.  There might be a January and/or February thaw 
> when a lot of snow melted and ran straight to the creeks, but most of 
> the snow pack melted gradually as the ground thawed and soaked into 
> the ground, recharging the aquifers.  But we don't really have "snow 
> pack" anymore, so we;re getting more runoff and less recharge.
>
> Likewise, spring rains were gentle and frequent and a lot of the rain 
> soaked into the ground.  And parts of most summers were wet enough to 
> do some more recharging, especially in the cloudy "Greater Ithaca"
> area.  But now we have hotter, dryer springs, summers and falls.
> More "rain events" with lots of water in a short time, but when the 
> ground has dried out between "events," most of the rain runs off and 
> causes floods, rather than recharging the aquifers.  Think how 
> absorbent a very dry sponge is, versus how much more water you can get 
> into a slightly damp sponge.
>
> So the amount of rain and snow that falls could stay the same (or even 
> increase) and yet ground water levels could fall.  Unfortunately a 
> likely scenario in our climate-changed world, even here in Ithaca.
>
> Margaret
>
>
>
>> marlo capoccia wrote:
>>>  i'm curious as about why water conservation is important in an area  
>>> like ours.  the only reason i can think of is to reduce the amount 
>>> of  energy and chemistry used to clean the water to return it to the  
>>> lake.
>>
>> Yep. My household water is pumped up from Bolton Point to the NYSEG 
>> building before flowing down here, then for a shower it gets heated, 
>> and then what's used flows down into the City of Ithaca's sewers.  
>> Less water use means less pumping, heating, and sewage processing.
>>
>> (The Village of Dryden has to replace its sewer plant - a ~$5 million 
>> project.  Ouch!  And septic tanks are their own set of challenges.)
>>
>> My garden water comes from a 270' well, though it doesn't require 
>> sewer, and I'm planning on looking into rainwater collection because 
>> I have to put new gutters on the house anyway.
>>
>>>  is there something more here?  even when our water tables were  
>>> high in this area people spoke about the importance of conservation,  
>>> so i get the feeling it isn't about the amount of water available.
>>
>> Drought's not a frequent problem here, but it does happen some years.
>> Wells can be especially tricky.
>>
>> Yes, it's more important to refrain from dumping used motor oil in 
>> the ditch than to refrain from taking showers, but these aren't bad 
>> habits to develop.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Simon St.Laurent
>> http://livingindryden.org/
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Marlo Capoccia
Garden Gate
www.gardengatedelivery.com

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