Water: Catch it if you can
A Simple Guide to Saving, Storing and Reusing Water
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
I am a “nature nut” with a passion for studying permaculture, organic gardening and landscaping. Years of research has led me to believe that nothing is currently more important to address than our water crisis. The more I learn, the more I am convinced that we all need to become “water detectives” and make an extra effort to cut water waste. Each positive step combined with continual, daily awareness can help us make better use of our available water as well as balance the ecosystems on the planet. I have written WATER: CATCH IT IF YOU CAN, to create awareness and to propose practical ways to help you do your special part. I call this the RAIN CHALLENGE because for me a challenge means you review old behaviors and set new goals. Here's my challenge to you: Read this book. Then document your water success stories on my website at
Our staff will answer your questions and update you on resources and locations of necessary materials. For those of you who are already taking positive steps, we want to thank you in advance and encourage you to do more to bring this challenge to your friends, schools, neighbors and community. Spread the word. After years of gathering information and studying the human race's abuse of our most precious resource, water, I still wake up each day searching for new ways to help. After watching Al Gore's movie, “An Inconvenient Truth,” I began to save and reuse the water that comes out of my faucet. I also replaced my sprinklers with drip irrigation. But can I do more? I believe we all can do more to make an impact on the environment by saving, storing and reusing water. TO OUR ELDERS: We are grateful for your wisdom and perspective on the days before our “advances” - a time when people drank from cold springs, swam in unpolluted oceans and ate from their own gardens; the days before fast food, when we moved at a much slower pace, before we had running water, and clean water was drawn from the river or taken from a well. Some of you may be able to tell us stories about the days when your own parents or grandparents put rain catchment vessels on the roofs of their houses or buried them in their backyards. These were the times when water was treated as a valued commodity and not allowed to run down the drain. You can remind us of the times when things were done more simply and prudently. Please let us hear from you, as your perspective is our history. Your challenge is to send us a picture, drawing or description of any rainwater catchment systems or other water conservation methods you recall. Our abuse of water and fossil fuels has reached a critical level. However, the suggestions I will present in this book for rainwater catchment and erosion prevention are creative, manageable solutions that will impact the quality of all our lives. We must make these changes now or accept that in the future it will be nearly impossible to live healthy and productive lives. Take the challenge and enjoy the results of your efforts. Why study water? Human beings are over 60 % water. Water is the most essential element required to keep our bodies alive and healthy. We need to hydrate our body constantly, and to do so, we need fresh, clean water. The ecosystems from which we live and eat need water. The plants and animals that supply our nutrition also need fresh water to survive. Nothing and no one will be able to function when the water is gone. Environmental scientists have observed that rainwater and storm water are moving at much quicker rates than ever before. Water rushes over the land, heads to creeks and rivers and eventually runs into the ocean. The problem is that water runoff moves rapidly and it picks up large amounts of sediment along the way. The sediment joins the rain water that flows into the sea and causes serious ecological damage, not only to the ocean, but the coral and all sea life as well. This harmful process has a profound impact and worsens with every rainfall. Everyone has heard about water conservation. But I want to offer you the latest discoveries and most practical methods to significantly save water. You may not be able to use every suggestion, but even if you use two or three ideas, you will be moving in the right direction. The CHALLENGE: Cut your use of water each day by 25% compared to last year.
A. Water Footprint
How much water do you and your family use a day? Is it 5 gallons? 50 gallons? 200 gallons? 500 gallons? To determine your “water footprint,” (how much water one uses per day) begin by reviewing your water bill, noting how many gallons your household uses per month. Let's do an experiment that calibrates some common water usages. While waiting for the hot water to come through the faucet, take a one gallon plastic container and fill it up. Did it take more than one gallon to reach the desired temperature? How much time did it take to receive hot water? Now how can we distribute that one gallon (or 128 ounces)? Here is how I use mine: · 32 ounces of water (equal to a quart of milk) to water 4 indoor plants · · · ·
Now you have a better understanding of how much you can accomplish with a gallon of water.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
This book addresses the mysteries surrounding our most common element, water. It is an easy guide to becoming a “water detective”, introducing practical everyday tips and water saving tools to help you change your water footprint. The contents will open your awareness to the global water crisis and teach you efficient ways to catch and save water. The format is personal, accessible and adds a light touch using cartoons and colorful pictures. The scope of the book covers water conservation in the home to rain gardens and rain catchments in the landscape. Water: Catch It If You Can is divided into four categories with easy to follow instructions and resources: 1. Why study water? 2. Water Usage and Conservation 3. Water Catchment 4. Slowing and Diverting the Storm Water Runoff. The accompanying pictures and cartoons bring these concepts to life. Here is a simple example of what you will find in this easy to follow guide book: When taking a shower catch the cold water in a bucket while you await the hot water. Use the water that you catch to water your indoor plants. You will be surprised how far a bucket will go! There are hundreds of useful tips in Water: Catch It If You Can. Susan is passionate about her subject and has written a book that people of all ages throughout the world will be able to understand and implement on a daily basis.
This book undoubtedly will become a useful handbook in your household.
About the Author
Susan Pearlstine is the owner of SEVERAL SEASONS, a sustainable, organic landscape company in Marin County, California. Susan’s grandparents were farmers who loved the land. Being an outdoors person and a great appreciator of fresh air and natural beauty herself, Susan became an avid gardener as well as a hiker and world traveler. Her respect for nature’s gifts has grown exponentially over the years and motivated her to write Water: Catch It If You Can. Susan is a licensed landscape contractor, organic gardener and landscape designer with over 30 years experience in the field. She is a member of the Association for Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) and the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) and American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) and has degrees in horticulture, design and construction management. She is a graduate of the Sustainable Landscape Professional Certificate Program at Sonoma State University. Susan has published several design and “how to” articles under her pen-name, “Dr. Garden”. Recently, she developed a new garden design style suitable to Mediterranean climates around the world called “Mission Gardens.” It is based on the Missions of California gardens, and includes edible plants in the formal landscaping. It was presented on Curb Appeal on Home and Garden TV (HGTV). Susan is in the field everyday, managing a million plants in all types of weather and conditions. In addition to leading an organic lifestyle, she is committed to educating people on the practices needed to look at water issues from a sustainable perspective. She considers herself a professional water detective.