Thursday, April 26, 2012

Rainwater Harvesting - Emily Pfleiderer





This week for our Critical Issues class we spoke with Brad Lancaster, who is a water sustainability activist. He spoke to us about methods to create an urban landscape that is like a sponge and not water-phobic. The idea that urban landscapes are hydrophobic stems from how cities are constructed; streets direct rainwater into sewers and away from the community. Essentially, urban designers do not welcome water from the sky but rather (especially in Tucson) spends absurd amounts of energy and money moving water long distances, or depleting easily accessible ground water. I had never thought about the type of water that I use for my daily activities but Brad pointed out the absurdities of common practices such as watering plants, flushing toilets, and washing clothes with purified drinking water. I highly recommend that you check out his website, and if possible, utilize some of the strategies. I want to point out that the ideas on his website are not just his, that what he writes about comes from a wealth of knowledge from practices around the world. I think Brad is a messenger trying to spread awareness about water practices and help others see how accessible it can be to change their lifestyle and their community. http://www.harvestingrainwater.com/




This weekend my friend Oto and I talked with Primitivo (host family friend) about rainwater harvesting and we gave him a tour of the barrio. One of the benefits of how the Dunbar-Spring neighborhood has changed since Brad has been there is that it inspires other people and challenges the idea of what a typical neighborhood should look like. I think the neighborhood instigates small-scale projects, but as of yet, not national.

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