Let’S Do Our Part To Conserve Natural Resources

“This we know: The Earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the Earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood, which unites one family. Whatever befalls the Earth, befalls the sons of the Earth. Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”

This thoughtful and profound statement is from an 1854 speech entitled “We May Be Brothers After All,” by Chief Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish Tribe. The Seattle newspaper reported the speech as his reply to “The Great White Chief” in Washington, D.C., who had made an offer to buy the land of the Suquamish Tribe.

Chief Seattle did not understand how the white man could buy the earth. He worried that the white man saw the earth not as “his brother, but his enemy and when he has conquered it, he moves on. His appetite will devour the Earth and leave behind only a desert.” He was perceptive.

What would the Chief say about our growing use of water when some parts of the world experience drought and people are starving and dying of thirst?

We do not have to “leave behind only a desert,” for we can indeed conserve water and save a few dollars for ourselves while doing it. Water is a finite resource, and we need to use it more cautiously because it is going to cost more in the future. The Kiplinger Washington Letter predicts “big changes in how water is used, sold and regulated.”

Jim Markley, engineer for the City of Coeur d’Alene, feels better education and information for the public about conservation can make an important difference.

“People usually over-water their lawns. Some even water the sidewalk and the street,” he said. That is why he recommends checking your sprinkler system periodically. He suggests placing empty, but clean, tuna cans in various locations, and then check the depth of the water in each can. “This will tell you if you are watering your lawn evenly. If you are not, this will improve your lawn.”

Barb Arnold, owner and operator of Nothing But Herbs, waters her garden and herb fields for a “long time at night, and I do it infrequently to drive the roots down deep in the soil so that they are not subject to drought conditions.” She waters at night to avoid evaporation.

Vicky Parker-Clark, Kootenai County extension agent, agrees: “At this time of year one inch applied to the lawn once or twice a week is OK. Everyday watering brings the root systems to the top of the soil where they are weak, so we recommend not watering every day.”

On an average day, the city of Coeur d’Alene runs three million gallons of water through the sewer system. On a hot summer day the city will process 24 million gallons per day; 21 million goes on the ground.

That is why Sid Fredrickson, Coeur d’Alene Waste Water Superintendent, encourages people “to watch the amount of time you spend in the shower and to use more water restricting devices in their homes.” He, too, agrees folks can save themselves some money and conserve water by carefully monitoring the home irrigation system.

Several activities around the house can save water, and at the end of the year you will have saved hundreds of gallons of water: Instead of running the tap water until it is cold, put a jug of water in the refrigerator. A couple of old quart jars destined for the garbage will fit into the toilet tank, and every time it is flushed, you save about half a gallon of clean water.

More manufacturing companies now are taking conservation measures more seriously. It is estimated that Boeing reduced the annual amount of carbon dioxide per year by switching to the new compact fluorescent light bulb.

Does that make them a “greenie company,” or were they motivated by the 90 percent reduction in their use of electricity for lighting? Either way, their efforts saved money, improved the air and saved resources.

It all adds up. If we all do a little, the big companies will notice, and they, too, will take action, as many have already.

It does not hurt to remember the 150-year-old words of Chief Seattle: “Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”