"Rethinking Water..." in Sonoma West

[Shepherd]

Dear Sonoma West Editor,
I appreciated, learned from, and want to draw attention to David Abbott’s informative article “Rethinking Water…” in your July 26 issue (www.sonomawest.com). This report on the “Seven Wonders of Water Conservation” workshop hosted in Forestville by the Russian River County Water District was inspiring. The article was about a presentation by Petaluma-based Daily Act’s Trathen Heckman. Those wanting more information can contact them at (707) 789-9664 or www.dailyacts.com.

Trathen’s work on “transforming lawns into edible gardens” strikes me as important. I lived in Hawaii for a while when transportation broke down and grocery store shelves were not full. That may happen here in the future, given that we are reaching a peak in oil, which is the main ingredient in industrial agriculture and the food that it produces.

We waste so much of our water. In Hawaii my farm had rainwater catchment, which Trathen spoke about. Among the many helpful groups here in Sonoma County is the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, through which water specialist Brock Dolman teaches classes on water and its catchment on the roof.

As an organic farmer, I have been learning about the presence of edible wild food on my own land and here in Sonoma County, including the delicious/nutritious miner’s lettuce that helped the 49’s survive and could help us again during lean times. You cannot buy it in stores, since it has no shelf life, but it tastes wonderful and is good for you. We waste so many of our apples. It’s time to locate apple trees that are not being harvested and gather their healthy fruit. Curse the invasive blackberries if you must, but be sure to eat them and realize that some day they may save lives.

Trathen is an inspiring speaker in our time of rising multiple catastrophes, so if you get a chance to hear him, please consider going. I like his idea, quoted in the article, that “ecology (is) the nature of relationships.” Daily Acts is an impressive organization. According to your article, over the last decade they have “done about 600 events through 30,000 volunteer hours.”

If you think the current oil wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are bad, wait until the water wars intensify. Humans can live without oil, but not without water.
Shepherd Bliss, Sebastopol

[zenekar]

Dear Sonoma West Editor,
I appreciated, learned from, and want to draw attention to David Abbott’s informative article “Rethinking Water…” in your July 26 issue (www.sonomawest.com). This report on the “Seven Wonders of Water Conservation” workshop hosted in Forestville by the Russian River County Water District was inspiring. The article was about a presentation by Petaluma-based Daily Act’s Trathen Heckman. Those wanting more information can contact them at (707) 789-9664 or www.dailyacts.com.

Trathen’s work on “transforming lawns into edible gardens” strikes me as important. I lived in Hawaii for a while when transportation broke down and grocery store shelves were not full. That may happen here in the future, given that we are reaching a peak in oil, which is the main ingredient in industrial agriculture and the food that it produces.

We waste so much of our water. In Hawaii my farm had rainwater catchment, which Trathen spoke about. Among the many helpful groups here in Sonoma County is the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, through which water specialist Brock Dolman teaches classes on water and its catchment on the roof.

As an organic farmer, I have been learning about the presence of edible wild food on my own land and here in Sonoma County, including the delicious/nutritious miner’s lettuce that helped the 49’s survive and could help us again during lean times. You cannot buy it in stores, since it has no shelf life, but it tastes wonderful and is good for you. We waste so many of our apples. It’s time to locate apple trees that are not being harvested and gather their healthy fruit. Curse the invasive blackberries if you must, but be sure to eat them and realize that some day they may save lives.

Trathen is an inspiring speaker in our time of rising multiple catastrophes, so if you get a chance to hear him, please consider going. I like his idea, quoted in the article, that “ecology (is) the nature of relationships.” Daily Acts is an impressive organization. According to your article, over the last decade they have “done about 600 events through 30,000 volunteer hours.”

If you think the current oil wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are bad, wait until the water wars intensify. Humans can live without oil, but not without water.
Shepherd Bliss, Sebastopol

CORRECTION, Daily Acts website is: www.dailyacts.org.

[kit-kit]

I looovvvee this quote! yesss!

..."Humans can live without oil, but not without water."

the new front load high efficiency washing machines use about 1/4 of the water that a normal washing machine needs.

i.e. if the older washing machines use maybe 30 gals, the high efficiencies use less than 5 gals. You also do not have to figure out what water level to use -- the machine does it for you). Also easy to spin clothes an additional cycle, saving on drying time...

yes, i do curse the blackberries (over and over). When all humans are dead, the Himalayan blackberry will still be here.

Brazil has discovered vast oil fields out in their ocean east of their coast -- let's hope they don't have a nasty oil spill!