Infrastructure, Rainwater Catchment

California Drought – Immediate Action is Required

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Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times The effects of California’s ongoing drought are evident at Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet as shells, once under water, lie in the soil of recently exposed banks.

When a NASA scientist writes that the California drought has reached such epic proportions that the state is in danger of turning into a dustbowl, we need to stand up, take notice and act.

According to Jay Famiglietti, the senior water scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech and a professor of Earth system science at UC Irvine, in an op-ed article for Los Angeles Times. “Statewide, we’ve been dropping more than 12 million acre-feet of total water yearly since 2011.” 

Famiglietti also writes, “Right now the state has only about one year of water supply left in its reservoirs, and our strategic backup supply, groundwater, is rapidly disappearing. California has no contingency plan for a persistent drought like this one (let alone a 20-plus-year mega-drought), except, apparently, staying in emergency mode and praying for rain.

In short, we have no paddle to navigate this crisis.”

Please click here to read this interesting and compelling article in LA Times.  Click here to read another report on the California drought from FeelGuide.

Action throughout the world on conservation is needed now – and it must be immediate and decisive.

Infrastructure

Families Shirk Suburbia for Urban Life

In this March 3, 2015 photo, Michael Kelly offers his daughter, Elea, 2, a taste of fresh herbs that he grows at Sprout, the restaurant he owns in Seattle's downtown Pioneer Square neighborhood, as his wife, Jenny, looks on. The Kellys live only a few blocks away, and are a part of a small but growing number of parents who are bucking the trend of moving to suburbs when they have children. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
In this March 3, 2015 photo, Michael Kelly offers his daughter, Elea, 2, a taste of fresh herbs that he grows at Sprout, the restaurant he owns in Seattle’s downtown Pioneer Square neighborhood, as his wife, Jenny, looks on. The Kellys live only a few blocks away, and are a part of a small but growing number of parents who are bucking the trend of moving to suburbs when they have children. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Seattle’s population composition, along with other cities like Portland, OR could be seeing a trend where young parents opt to remain in,  or return to the city life they enjoyed pre-families.

On March 24th, the Associated Press reported that “A small but growing number of parents are bucking a trend when it comes to raising their kids: Rather than move to suburbs as their parents once did, many are opting to stay in or near downtown. Some do it to seek an urban lifestyle, shorten commutes or be within proximity to restaurants, museums and other attractions.”

Citing a 30% increase in school enrollment between 2007 and  2012, this vocal group has been pushing cities to become friendlier to families – by requesting they add  schools, green space and recreational services to accommodate this growing population.

To read the full article, please click here.

Rainwater Harvesting Education

Rainwater Collection and Quality of Life

Sierra Leone Africa School_RainBankLLCThe United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) mission is to “provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.”

UNEP was created in 1972 by the United Nations General Assembly for a wide range of environmental concerns and strategies, including Rainwater Harvesting and Utilization. A recent newsletter,  “An Environmentally Sound Approach for Sustainable Urban Water Management: An Introductory Guide for decision makers, cites nations around the world that are currently practicing rainwater collection as a source of water.

Examples are Singapore – with limited land resources and rising demands for water – has done a recent study of urban residential with conclusion of 4% savings from $1.17 per cubic meter to $.96 per cubic meter.  A non potable application at the Changi Airport accounts for a 28 – 30% savings.

Tokyo, Japan rainwater harvesting and utilization is promoted to mitigate water shortages, control floods, and secure water for emergencies.

About 750 private and public buildings in Tokyo have introduced rainwater collection and it is now flourishing in private and public sector.

Berlin, Germany rainwater utilization was introduced in 1998 as part of large scale urban development to control flooding and save city water. Germany is a leader in rainwater collection technology. Many products used in the United States come from Germany.

China has seventeen provinces that have adopted rainwater collection on a large scale with 5.6 million tanks supplying drinking water for 15 million people.

Of course, Africa is experiencing expansion of rainwater collection systems throughout the continent with the help of many NGOs in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and many others.

Other countries  such as Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Canada, and more are recognizing sustainable solutions to the worldwide need for a clean reliable source of water.

Rainwater Systems