Conserving Water in a Drought

We Canadians don't think about water very much. Despite the fact that we use incredible amounts of water to groom, clean and wash, most of us don't give it a second thought. We have natural sources of water all around us, and the technology needed to purify this water for our consumption. Unless you're a farmer or live on a well, you likely consume water as though it were an infinite resource.

Currently, however, we have entered Level 2 drought conditions. Which basically means, water is NOT abundant in our region. Our city has received 19.6mm of rain since June 8th, which is barely 20% of the normal level.

The recommendations for a Level 2 drought (which will be confirmed this Friday), is that residents voluntarily reduce water consumption. By-law officials won't be patrolling your neighbourhoods to hand out tickets, but they're hoping that you will restrict water usage out of the goodness of your heart.

Do you know what a Level 3 drought means? It indicates the failure of the water supply to meet the demand, resulting in progressively more severe and widespread socioeconomic effects.


"Resulting in more severe and widespread socioeconomic effects" - does this mean we're already experiencing some severe widespread socioeconomic effects? If so, I have a hard time accepting voluntary restrictions on water usage. How about plans to prevent the Level 3 by putting some clear rules in place? Naw, clearly this is not what our society is about - we like to wait until disaster has struck before we jump to action.

As an environmentalist, I find this rather frustrating, so I wanted to share how our family plans on voluntarily reducing water consumption (note: we do a lot of these already, drought or no drought):

1) Brushing Teeth: water should NOT be running while you're brushing your teeth. What are you using it for? Here's an idea - fill a small cup with water. Dip your toothbrush in it, put your toothpaste on, and merrily go about your business. Rinse your toothbrush in the cup, and then use the same water to rinse your mouth out. It's all your own germs in there anyway, so what are you worried about?

2) If it's brown, flush it down. If it's yellow, let it mellow. Our family practices this almost all of the time. Does it mean I clean the toilets more often? You bet! But I don't see the necessity of flushing a pee, when I'm just going to need to go again in 1-2 hours (I am pregnant, after all!) If the idea of this really bothers you neat freaks out there, just put the toilet seat down - you won't notice a thing!

3) Lawns are stupid. I wish we didn't have a lawn. It's a western invention that highlights our unhealthy need to control nature. We demand bright green, weed-free lawns, at the expense of our ecosystems. When I take a walk in the evening, it's all I can do to not scream stop watering your damned lawns!!! to my sweet old neighbours. I realize it's a cultural/generational thing, and they probably don't even realize what they're doing. But our generation? We DO know what we're doing, and watering our lawn is wasteful. If you must water something, make sure it's the vegetables and fruit that are growing in your gardens! Our food clearly takes priority over manicured grass.

4) Laundry - ah, laundry. The bane of all parents' existence. During this drought, we are committed to washing only very soiled laundry. If I don't see a visible stain, it's going back in the drawer (underwear being the exception). If you wear some nice deodorant, there's no need for you to wash a shirt that's only been worn once.

5) Dishes - this is where I get stumped. Clearly, we have to wash dishes. We own a dishwasher, and we'll stack that with all of our breakables. Pots, pans and any plastic gets washed in the sink. Is it better to hand wash all dishes, or do dishwashers actually save water? Maybe you can help me out here.

6) Showers/baths - again, most of us have an unhealthy attitude towards bathing. We believe it must be done every single day, and it's incredible how long some people will stand in the shower. When we re-did the bathroom last year, we purchased a small claw foot bathtub. I bathe every 2-3 days, and fill this up about half way. My husband showers downstairs, and he's out in under 5 minutes. Showers and baths are a GREAT place to start reducing water consumption.

So what are your tips for conserving water? Could you try any of the above?

Saving the Mayfair Theatre...and my sanity

Confession: I went to school for environmental studies. Even got my masters degree!

I wouldn't call it a waste. In my undergrad, I focused my thesis on elderly women's fear of crime in urban space. For my master's I studied the Girl Guides of Canada, and how their curriculum promotes environmental citizenship among young girls and women.

And here I am....working with women! Although I'm not writing environmental policy or advocating on behalf of a non-profit, I feel like my heart is in the right place. I still believe that our environmental issues are paramount, but getting an education in the field was discouraging - it felt like my efforts were just a drop  in the bucket. At least as a doula, I see positive change with each birth I attend. I feel as though my efforts in education and advocacy are paying off. And I can continue to care about environmental issues, without having to dedicate myself 40 hrs per week to the cause.

In my mid-twenties, I pictured myself always living in the urban core - renting a small apartment and being able to walk/bike to work. I imagined I would take part in a community garden, and keep worm composters on my balcony (which I actually did do!) I shunned suburbs - they were for lazy commuters who drove gas guzzling SUVs (my apologies friends - I don't think that anymore).

But kids change, well, everything. It's not that I worry about space - I would be perfectly happy raising my children in a smaller, older home, if it meant being close to all the amenities. It's just financially not possible. My husband and I are not making enough money to sustain a mortgage downtown. We could have continued to rent, but our unease about not having a place to call our own led us to begin looking for a home we could afford. And the only place we could afford was in the suburbs.

So two years later, here we are. We live in an older home built in the 1960s, and our backyard looks out onto a school and adjescent ravine. We take long hikes in our ravine, pointing out woodpeckers, owls and evidence of beavers. Our gardens grow a ton of vegetables in the summer. I love the songbirds that visit my trees every morning, and I relish the silence in the evenings. Now if I could only legally raise some chickens in my backyard, I would be in heaven!

But what I don't like?

• Lack of a decent coffee shop. No offense Starbucks, but I like supporting small businesses. And so far, no decent coffee shops are to be found in Orleans, Ontario.
• Few family-run or independent food establishments. I really do NOT enjoy big box restaurants. I'll eat there on occasion, but I don't want to eat something that I can find in every other suburb in Canada.
• Little walkability - yes, it's true what they say. You DO drive more in the suburbs. Although I have made an effort to commute to work by bus, my morning sickness has forced me back into my car.
• Lack of culture (live music, theatre, the arts)

Which brings me to the main point of this post. We recently found out we may be losing our first independent theatre, which only opened less than a year ago. The Mayfair Theatre is a locally-run establishment that moved into space once occupied by Cineplex Odeon. Unfortunately, dismal ticket sales may force it to close its doors.

Strong supporters of the community of Orleans will argue that I'm missing some important points - say, for instance, The Shenkman Arts Centre? And I'll agree - we have made great strides in building the arts in this community. But clearly it's not enough, when a local theatre (which runs many good-quality, independent films) can't even keep its doors open for one year.

I don't believe it's for lack of interest. I know for a fact that many of my friends out here were very happy when the Mayfair announced its arrival. And I know we're all busy with babies, kids, dogs, mortgages and home repairs...

But why should we care any less than folks living in Westboro or the Glebe? What makes a community is the desire of its citizens to lead better, and more sustainable lives. And unfortunately, sustainability does not have its home in the WalMart or Empire Theatres or Home Sense living along the big box that calls itself Innes Road.

So could everyone do me a favour? Save my sanity - help me realize my dream of owning a home AND having access to all the things that make a community so wonderful. A place to meet and chat with friends/neighbours, businesses that are close enough to go by foot, food that does not come in industrial packages, and films that don't have "American Pie" in the title.

If you live in Orleans, visit the Mayfair Theatre this weekend! You'll see me there on Saturday night, checking out the eco-drama The Hunter.

The Case of the Missing Bathing Suit

The inspector sat in his wing-backed chair, squinting at the report in his hand. The light was poor, and the cigar smoke drifting up from the tray made it difficult to focus on the words.


The door to his office slammed open. A woman entered, and the Inspector could instantly sense her distress. Her hat was slightly askew, and her hair had been hastily pinned.


"Inspector," she cried breathlessly. "There's been a robbery."


"Why don't you take a seat." He got up, and putting a firm hand on her elbow, guided her to the chair.


"I'm sorry," she said, brushing the hair from her eyes. "It's just been so distressing." She proceeded to tell the inspector her story.


****************** Fast Forward 6 Weeks ******************

"I'm sorry to be the one to break the news to you, my dear." The inspector was sympathetic. "We've discovered that, in fact, there was no robbery. It was simply a misunderstanding - your husband accidentally donated all of your summer clothing to The Salvation Army. He must have mistaken the box with your bathing suit for goods that were to be given to the poor."


"Well....," she said, at a loss for words.




Yes, it's a true story (minus the inspector). My summer clothes are gone - now hanging at the local Salvation Army. Or so I assume, as I haven't had a chance to go "shopping" there yet. The Salvation Army is closed on Sundays (duh).

All of my bathing suits (actually, I'm guessing those get thrown out), my shorts, tanks and god knows what else, are on display for the world to purchase. At a low cost, mind you.

The situation is a funny one, because really, things like this only happen to me, ie. people who are dumb enough not to double check all of the bags and boxes of stuff being loaded into the car.

Many people living in this world don't even have enough clothes to wear, so really, I can't be very upset. Except for the fact that we're on a strict budget at the moment, and I can't really afford to buy a bunch of new things (I've budgeted for 1 new pair of work pants for the next month). And it won't be a problem until the weather is warm enough for me to waltz around in shorts and t-shirts.

So the whole kerfuffle has me reflecting on the value of my clothes, and thinking back to a recent interview I heard on CBC's Q. The clothes we buy from stores like Reitmans and H&M cost pennies to make, but cost lives to consume. The "sweat shop" issue is far from old news. In the 1990's there was a big hue and a cry over practices by brands such as Nike. And yet today, we barely here a peep of dissidence, despite our ever-growing appetite for cheap and fashionable clothing.

I haven't read the book featured on Q, but the interview certainly struck a cord. Most of us fill our closets with cheaply made clothes, replacing our things with the changes of the seasons. And every garment we buy will end up in a landfill - despite our efforts at donating clothes, they will someday need to be disposed of. And the new fabrics, which are not natural at all, do not decompose well in our mountainous landfills.

The answer to the problem is a tough one for the "modern" woman (ie. the woman who wants to look semi-fashionable, especially in the workplace where this is expected) - we must spend money on really good quality clothing, which will last 10x longer then the hastily sewn stuff at H&M, but our bank account will suffer in the short-term. We don't tend to see the long-term benefits, and in a consumer driven world, this is not enough motivation to change our purchasing habits.

So in essence, it's a behavioural change problem - a lot of us know about the social and environmental impact we have on our world, but this doesn't translate into changed behaviour. We may care about the workers who are treated poorly in other countries; we may care about the massive quantities of natural resources used to make our clothing; and we may care about the waste; but we care more about our wardrobe and how we "look" to others.

In having lost all of my clothes (some of which I may recover by taking a visit to the good old Salvation Army), I am suddenly forced to take a good look at my desire for new clothes, coupled with my desire for a sustainable wardrobe. My goal in the next few months will be to scour the city and online stores for clothing that is going to last me a long time, albeit at a much greater cost in the short-term.

First up? A bathing suit - I may not be allowed to enter the pool with A's swim class wearing only my birthday suit :)

Have any tips or suggestions for sustainable clothing? Share them below!