Depending on which figures you believe, if every single lawn in California were left to die California would save somewhere between 1-2.5% of its water. I question whether the cure is worse than the disease.
I've cut back on shower times, I never wash my car, I've allowed my backyard to die and I barely water my front yard. I even put a bucket in the shower while I allow the water to heat up--and I water my orange trees with that water. Heck, I even brush my teeth out of a cup so as not to leave the water running. I say all that to demonstrate that I don't support wasting water, and I practice what I preach.
But let's be honest--domestic use is only about 10% of water use in California. If all homes were to stop using all water, we'd save that 10%. In other words, these personal cuts and drastic fines that Governor Brown wants to impose are for show only, they don't really do anything to make water available to Californians. He and his ilk have fought new dams in this state for most of my life--that is why we're running so low on water. His condescension regarding "your nice little green grass" is Obama-like. It's typical of the "I know what's best for you" liberal, but it's not good leadership or good stewardship.
My wife and i talked about something regarding this yesterday - wouldn't going to a low-water yard (dry-scape) actually contribute to global warming? Knowing what i know about grass, it would actually keep an area cooler. Gravel, rock, all that stuff, would release more heat and warm up the area. Doesn't that go against what the AGW crowd is preaching? Shouldn't they be calling for MORE grass and plants?
ReplyDeleteIt depends. All the well meaning , but misplaced planting of trees in desert areas actually raises average temperatures. I like the idea of xeriscaping-using native plants. Texas A&M has a huge section on it and it's being encouraged especially for outlying communities that have to rely on well water or drought prone lakes. That being said, people are really dumb on how they use water. Most folks water lawns far too often. Bagging grass clippings actually reduces the amount of moisture a lawn retains. I'm investigating rainbarrels as recapture from the roof for watering plants outside. What's funny is that while we're conservative, our uber liberal neighbors constantly let water run off and seldom recycle. So it's not a political view-it's a wise use of resources view.
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