Eco-solutions in your backyard

What’s the real challenge against climate change? What can an individual do? Dr Anjani Ganase identifies the problem – using more than we need aka excessive consumerism – and talks about wise use of at least one resource, water.

We often come across these all-in-one solutions for saving the environment. Such solutions appear in the form of social media video campaigns where a simple action/ purchase, such as reusable shopping bags, reusable straws, smart light and hybrid cars may be enough to save the planet. However, even with the consumer substitution of more “eco-friendly” products, as long as we keep consuming, we are essentially swapping one resource for another, and therefore we continue to draw from the finite capacity of our natural environment. Furthermore no eco-friendly substitute may be suitable, when we consider the numerous environments and economies globally. For a small island nation, the carbon footprint of importing and manufacturing greener products, especially if the energy is still sourced from fossil fuels defeats the purpose.

Tobago's backyard includes land and sea. Bateaux Bay, Speyside Photo by Anjani Ganase

While I am not against eco-friendly options, this only takes us some of the way to a greener future; in which we reduce extraction from the natural habitats, do not pollute ecosystems and reduce our global carbon footprint. Under certain circumstances, the eco-friendly option may not be eco-friendly and may be even worse in the long run. We delude ourselves when specific items are seen as the problem, rather than the broader issue of our consumptive lifestyle. We’re told to refuse the straw for the drinks dispensed from the endless amount of plastic bottled drinks – soft drinks, juices and even water - that we consume daily. We may "dine in" at a restaurant, but still take away our food in Styrofoam boxes and plastic bags. The problem is not just the straw or the box, it is the total amount of single-use plastics in our daily lives, and the fact that plastic waste never goes away; it only relocates and often to the ocean and into the airways and guts of marine animals despite “correct disposal” in a bin. This is why the more important challenge is to disseminate the full story of our waste and resource usage in order to instil behaviour change and regulation in the long term (Grant 2011). 

Tobago backyard, Little Tobago, Photo by Anjani Ganase

Consider water usage as an example of an eco-solution

Here in Trinidad and Tobago, the average person uses over 700 litres of water per day (FAO, 2011 estimate)! To put this in the global perspective, we have the same water usage as the average Australian, we have a lower consumption compared to a typical US individual who may use over a 4000 litres (2010 estimate), while the average person from the UK, uses about 350 litres a day (2012 estimate). The major difference between T&T and the other countries mentioned is that our domestic usage of water is steadily increasing, while the other countries are reducing their household water usage. The popular solutions for reducing excessive water use in the household, apart from regulating the cost of the water itself, is to replace household fixtures with those that are more efficient, use less water to get the job done. Most modern appliances, namely washing machines, dishwasher and faucet fixtures, are rated on their energy consumption and water efficiency, both of which lowers your expenses and of course water wastage. We should encourage the purchasing of more water efficient appliances in Trinidad. 

However, is this the whole picture? Assessments on water usage in Britain show that the majority of the water usage occurs in the bathroom (68 %), showers consume up to 25 % of the water usage, followed by the toilet use, which is about 22 % (Energy Saving Trust). In comparison, water usage in the kitchen is much lower, including the dish washing and the laundry. Dishwashing for example, only accounts 5 % of the water use (Energy Saving Trust). One might say that it is because of the use of more efficient dishwashers, but in reality, just over 50 % of the residents in Britain do not use a dishwasher. What do they do? They use the one or two bowl system for washing dishes – a bowl for soaping and a bowl for rinsing. The dishwasher is a consumer-based solution, while the bowl system of washing is a behaviour change solution based on understanding of the need to save water while not wanting to spend on a dishwasher. 

But let’s take a step back, the biggest loss of water is from long showers and baths and there is a limit to the type of shower head you can use; this therefore requires some behaviour change to reduce your shower time by a minute or two.

Tobago backyard, Heavenly Bay, Castara. Photo by Anjani Ganase

So why the fuss over saving water, especially when in Trinidad and Tobago and England it can appear to rain for days without end. Let’s widen the scope a bit, our water usage is relative to the rest of the world and is on the higher end of the spectrum, since we have a lot of rainfall and natural reserves but direct access to water supply in our homes. Unfortunately, there are many places that still do not have consistent access to water. Let’s go to the other extreme end of the spectrum: when budgeting for the space and resources in refugee camps, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that a person needs a minimum of 20 litres of water a day to maintain good sanitation and health. This water supply targets drinking, cooking, personal hygiene and laundry. What’s not mentioned here is toilet waste disposal. In fact, the use of drinkable water as waste disposal can be considered luxurious; but in many places wastewater used for flushing waste would not pass as the standard. The efficient water fixture does not even come into play when one is prioritising the water supply between drinking and flushing.

The next step for being environmental friendly is to focus on what’s outside your window. That’s not to ignore action against global climate change, but to think about the best local action for your own backyard biosphere – the sky, the earth and sea relevant to you, as an individual, community or a nation. We are a relatively small country, which means that we have a limited number of waterways and reservoirs to house our water resources, so we need to protect them and limit the pollutants we put down our drains. We are an island nation, where our coastal habitats buffer and prevent coastal erosion, so we need to protect the coastal ecosystems and limit coastal construction. Consider our air quality and the current CO2 emissions from sitting in traffic jams everyday, and burning waste adjacent to population. Finally, we need to protect our rainforest reserves, wetlands and savannahs that host the biodiversity essential to the economy of the future. 

Tobago backyard, Flagstaff Tobago. Photo by Anjani Ganase

When we truly understand the functioning of our own environment and our dependency on it, it becomes easier to focus on the most suitable forms of eco-friendly solutions; we can then make choices for cultural and behavioural change to produce positive eco-friendly impacts. But let’s do it quickly. 

References:

Energy Saving Trust (2013) At Home with Water, 21 Dartmouth Street

London, SW1H 9BP energysavingtrust.org.uk CO337

World Health Organization: B. J. Reed Series Editor: R. A. Reed Design: G. McMahon Illustrations: R. J. Shaw Graphics: Ken Chatterton Water, Engineering and Development Centre, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK. Phone: +44 1509 222885 Fax: +44 1509 211079 E-mail: WEDC@lboro.ac.uk www.lboro.ac.uk/wedc

FAO: http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/data/query/index.html

Grant LK. In response. The Behavior Analyst. 2011 Oct 1;34(2):245-66.