Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Water savings brings satisfaction

Before coming to Grand Coulee, my family and I lived in New Mexico where I held a job as a water conservation specialist.  When we found out we were moving to Washington, I didn’t think that much of the knowledge I had gained with my profession would be that useful here.  Even knowing that eastern Washington is considered a semi-arid environment, I assumed there would be more differences than similarities.

Every day I drive by the lakes and appreciate what a gift it is to be literally flanked by water. After spending years in an area with little open water and sparse rainfall, I don’t go by the lakes in Grand Coulee without appreciating their splendor. 

But, in a way we are teased with so much water here.  Living near two such substantial lakes can give a false sense of entitlement.  Why conserve water when there is a lake on the other side of the road? 

But making a life in a semi-arid environment demands that we be aware of any overuse of scarce resources.  And regardless of the plethora of water at our fingertips, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we should abuse its gift.

In my past life as a water conservation specialist, my job consisted of educating the public about the most efficient ways to save water and I’ve retained a few bits and pieces that might be beneficial to pass on to a town that has more similarities to a high desert environment than I initially thought.  With summer at its peak, monitoring outdoor water usage is our most efficient way of protecting this precious resource. 

As the days have hit their high temperatures, the best way we can save water is to refrain from any outdoor watering between the hours of 10am and 6pm.  Any watering outside of those times will maximize your efforts, for your garden and for your water bill.  Watering in the cool mornings and evenings will minimize the amount of evaporation from your garden, allowing it to retain the most amount of the water you shower on it.

Other ways to maximize outdoor watering efforts are to mulch any open soil areas to help retain moisture and keep the roots of your plants cool, thereby reducing the amount of water they might need on these hot days.  For those of us who aren’t lucky enough to have an automatic irrigation system, it’s helpful to set a kitchen timer to make sure not to over water when sprinklers or hoses are on.  Pots and hanging baskets may require a little water every day in the heat of the summer, but grass, trees, and vegetable gardens will benefit from longer watering less frequently.  And as much as I hate to admit it, keeping a garden weed-free is a sure way to save some water at any time of the year.  Weeds tend to be water hogs and will steal water and nutrients from your plants, making them suffer and require more watering.

Leaky indoor faucets are noticed almost immediately, whereas outdoor faucets, pipes and hoses may have to be consciously checked a few times a season to stay leak-free.  And as it is the season to enjoy our beautiful Grand Coulee sun, spending a few extra minutes in the yard can’t be too bad, even if you are just checking for leaks.   

Clearly, there are plenty of ways to save water indoors as well.  Older models of toilets, washing machines and dishwashers can be extreme water and energy hogs.  According to a new study out of the University of Bonn in Germany, washing a load of dishes by hand can use on average 27 gallons of water, yet washing the same amount of dishes in an energy-efficient dishwasher uses approximately 4 gallons of water. 

Regardless of the size of your household, garden, or lawn, there are ways we can all pitch in to monitor our use of water.  As we enjoy our lakes this summer, you can be proud of what you’ve contributed to preserving as much of this precious resource as possible.


Previously published in the "Grand Coulee Star," Grand Coulee, Washington. July 25, 2012

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

The true heart of the home

One of the things I’ve always loved about American homes is the prominence of the kitchen. Far more than other cultures, where kitchens are small and tucked away out of sight, American architects embraced the idea that the heart of the home is in the kitchen. I love homes that bring the living space into the cooking space. The action is there, it’s where people tend to congregate, and it allows us to be together at a time of the day when, with a different layout, families might disperse.

In early May a study came out saying that, by 2030, 42 percent of Americans will be obese. This is a shocking number, and a terrible future to saddle our children with. In other words, this means that almost half of our children, who will be adults then, will not just be fat. They will be obese, a label that has meaning beyond the simple circumference of our waistlines.

The health care costs of having so much of our population be obese will be astronomical. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, in 2011 the value of lost productivity and medical care costs due to overweight Americans and Canadians was $300 billion. Imagine that number 18 years from now when so many more of us will be so unhealthy.

But what about the other costs of obesity? In mid-June a father of two young boys in Canada was denied custody of his children in part because he was too fat. Even admitting that there were other reasons to deny him custody, the fact that the judge included this detail in his decision is alarming. A doctor at the family court clinic in Ottawa concluded that the man “lacks both the mobility and stamina required to keep up with young and active children.” The ruling also declared that since the father was unable to make the correct decisions regarding health and well-being for himself, he would be unable to do so for his sons.

This is a chilling ruling, and one that may have profound ripple effects. Who can decide whether a parent is “healthy enough” to take care of their children? And while this particular case may be extreme, the warning signs are there. I think the question we have to ask is what sort of example are we setting for our children? If we can’t take care of ourselves, can we be expected to take care of our children? Is obesity a sign of self-destructive behavior?

With the warmer days of summer, food choices tend to be different than in winter months. Fresh fruit and vegetables grace our farmer’s markets and tables. At restaurants there is a greater desire to order a salad than a nourishing plate of pasta. But tantalizing summer treats are at our fingertips. According to WebMD, in 2008 the average American ate 14 pounds of ice cream! Shockingly, this number is down from a peak in 1946, when Americans celebrated the end of sugar rationing by ingesting 23 pounds of ice cream per person.

As a parent, I find that I am constantly in the process of teaching my daughter something. But when it comes to food, I find that she often has more to teach me. If I put fruit and mac n’ cheese on her plate, she’ll invariably reach for the fruit first. She stops eating when she is full, not when the food is gone. She also teaches me to savor my food. It takes her three bites to eat one M&M.

I still believe that the heart of the home is in the kitchen and the smell of nourishing food simmering on the stove immediately puts me at ease. But maybe, as a culture, the fact that our homes orbit around our kitchens doesn’t necessarily mean that our lives have to orbit around our food. Maybe, the heart of the home is simply the loving people in it, regardless of where we tend to gather.