There are people buried in my Saban backyard. Four of them in a row.
Such burials are common on Saba, where the craggy landscape makes habitable land extremely rare. People are often buried wherever one can find a horizontal spot. Even if that means it’s in someone’s backyard.
These burials highlight an aspect of my travels I don’t often discuss here. Because in a way, it’s about politics, the politics of global warming, something to which I contribute every time I board an airplane.
As I travel, I continue to be staggered by how wasteful we are in America.
On Saba, they have no deep aquifers. No wells. Freshwater comes from rain which fills the cisterns attached to most buildings. The image at the top shows the one attached to my cottage (with the graves behind it.)
Part of staying here meant an education in water conservation.
Only flush the toilet after number two. Toilet paper cannot be flushed, because they do not have the infrastructure to process it. I place it in a trash bin next to the toilet.
When showering, only run water to lather up and rinse off. Do not leave the water running to shave or soap up my hair. Reuse as much brown water as I can from dishes in the kitchen sink.
If I want to wash my clothes, I will use the European washer outside. Essentially, that’s a tub and a hose. And I will hang my clothes to dry.
For readers in drought-prone American environments, these rules are certainly familiar. But speaking for many Americans who never think about where water comes from, these visits are an education in how much water I waste every day.
At home, I run water the whole time I wash dishes rather than filling a sink to rinse my plates. I stand under a hot shower until the water turns cold. Often, I flush the toilet multiple times after one go. I run water while brushing my teeth.
Because where I live, water is plentiful. I turn on a tap, and it flows and flows and flows.
My carbon footprint is huge, but I have learned much about conserving at home by traveling abroad. On every trip, I take better tools back and apply them in my daily life.
6 Comments
I could stop shaving while in the shower. It is a terrible indulgence. In the great Pacific North Wet, we have the illusion of water abundance. And this week (six inches since Wednesday) keeps that illusion strong.
But when you’re in La Jolla, it’s the opposite. I always try to be more conscious when I’m there.
Absolutely. We turn the shower on and catch the water until it warms and water plants with it. It’s a whole different ballgame. In north San Diego County, there is desalination, which makes perfect sense for SoCal. It also makes sense to use tidal action to generate power. But there are always shortsighted excuses to not make those changes. (It might affect our profit next quarter, shareholders might be unhappy–ridiculous!)
Well, in a laughable coincidence, I now have no water until Monday due to a leak. ???
Hi Andra, Saba looks like a great place to visit. I was not aware of the island’s existence until seeing your post. Regarding the subject of water resources the global forecasters predict that water will become the basis of future conflict as more than a billion people currently live in similar circumstances to Saba.Two years ago there was conflict between the cities of Madrid and Barcelona regarding the supply of water. The current fires in Australia have highlighted that many areas have not had rain for more than ten years. Yes we are fortunate ,let’s enjoy while we can. Remember water is sustainable in that it evaporates and becomes rain elsewhere and the cycle repeats itself.. Best wishes John
You and Janet should visit, John. Near Sint Maarten and St Barts. St Kitts also. A lovely bit of landscape.
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