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| Rainbow over Marigot Bay - Finola JC rights reserved |
So, I decided I should
look back through the over 200 posts I’ve written over on Sun, Rain, Or… and
what better thing to do than borrow from Facebook with their somewhat
endearing, somewhat annoying ‘Memories’ feature…so 5 years ago this week, I
wrote: Survival after Disasters - Sustenance in Your Yard. This was after the Haiti
Earthquake but before our own disastrous Hurricane Tomas.
The gist of that post was looking at the everyday
plants we probably don’t know are food, or maybe use in one way, like eat the
fruit, but don’t know the leaves make great tea to help relax, uplift, calm,
cure, etc.
So I’d say it’s worth taking a look back over at
that post if you don’t know much about plants, but read on also if you’d like a
few tips on how to survive better in the drought we are told we should expect
again this year, or if you’re not in Saint Lucia, read on anyway – a lot of it
is just good conservation practice anyway :)
Water
The stuff of life. Our most precious resource but
simultaneously, one we waste like it goin’ outta style! (West Indian expression
of my youth – ‘back in the day’ J)
Some simple tips to save water that you maybe haven’t
thought of
Showering – do you
let your taps run while you wait for the hot water to start? Catch it! Last
year when my plants were dying in droves, I bought a 1-gallon bucket and put it
under my taps as I mixed up my perfect temperature water to take my shower – I was
amazed at how much I’d been pouring down the drain! If I was not paying
attention, the bucket would easily fill ¾ and sometimes full. Now it fills just
about half way.
This water is totally clean! I give it to the dogs
to drink and I use it to water plants. Since it is collected daily it is enough
to do many things with and you use it daily so it won’t be a breeding ground
for mozzies!
Toilet
– ok, so you may not want to do this, but give it a try – If it’s yellow,
let it mellow – don’t flush every time you tek a pee! At least let it mellow
for a few uses and then flush – if you are in a household you can set a guide –
once someone sees evidence of too yellow water or a wad of toilet paper..flush
after use J C’mon,
it’s just pee and the only thing you have to fear is the scent of ammonia
getting too much – then flush once it reaches close to that.
Alternative
toilet therapy: Fill a bottle with sand or with water and
carefully place it in the toilet tank – use two small ones or one large but
they must not float. These will displace water in your tank and yep,
your toilet will still flush perfectly well but use a litre or two less each
time.
Dish
water – well, don’t use very soapy water to water your plants –
they tend not to take kindly too it. Do empty out your basin of soapy dirty
water and then rinse your soapy dishes into it – this water is not too bad but
can still ‘burn’ your plants. There’s instructions for a DIY ‘Gray Water’
filter here, but I am thinking – need a water expert to give their opinion on this
though, I’ve asked a friend but until then, my thoughts are:
Buy some activated charcoal (from Eastern Timbers in
Saint Lucia – check in the supermarkets for it) and make a simple filter. Buy/get
a 5 gallon bucket – recycled from the supermarket or paint buckets, cut a
square of mosquito mesh and secure it over the top by tying a strong elastic /
rubber under one of the ridges around the rim. Let it dip about 6 inches and place
your charcoal in the dip: Wrap the charcoal tightly in a piece of looseweave cotton or cloth so it
stays put and forms a tight mass. Pour your water through this, repeat a few
times – I’d think the water should be clean enough to use on your plants now…
Or Go
Green! There is of course, another alternative – I used to
make handmade soap, and have recently switched to a very plan, unscented soap
as I get more sensitive in my ‘ahem’ ‘old age’ ;) so, why not wash your dishes
with plain simple handmade soap? NOT ‘blue soap’ West Indians, not bluesoap ok?
That has artificial fragrance, chelating chemicals and ultramarine blue pigment…none
of these may be super bad on their own, but it’s NOT a natural soap. But get a
fully saponified (no excess oils) soap with some lemon/lime or other citrus
essential oils and it should be great for washing dishes – rub on sponge, clean
off grime and grease J
The phosphates in dish soap and detergents may seem
fine for plants as they are fertilizers, but they are NOT organic and ARE
environmental problem causers. Plus most detergents have other chemicals that
are not good for plants.
I've linked below to a page with info about natural
alternatives for dish soaps and detergents – I suspect we don’t get them in the
Paradise Islands…but if we ask for them, maybe we will eventually.
Check out the links for more info on some of the things I mentioned:
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| Rainbow moon - My Mum used to say it's a sign of rain FJC rights reserved |
Do you have any tips you can share for water conservation? Please drop them in the comments below! Thanks for reading :)
