A Watershed Moment
I have this recurring nightmare: I’m late for a final exam, and I haven’t studied. I’ve had all semester to prepare, but other things have taken priority. I’ve been distracted, irresponsible. And now: I’m screwed.
It recently occurred to me that I might be dreaming the collective unconscious.
Let me explain: each year the American Society of Civil Engineers (www.asce.org) gives the United States a report card. They rate America’s infrastructure. The 12 categories range from aviation and hazardous waste-to energy and schools.
The 2005 results are eye opening:
America’s Infrastructure G.P.A. = D
Down from a “D+” in 2001… America is failing out of school.
It’s no surprise when you consider the sinkhole that opened up in Brooklyn’s subway system in March 2006, or the Minneapolis 1-35W bridge that collapsed in August 2007. Most big cities-namely New York City, Washington D.C. and Seattle-were built on a 100-year plan. The ASCE estimates that $1.6 trillion is needed over a five-year period to bring the nation’s infrastructure to a good “B-grade” condition.
One critical issue on the list is WATER, which includes both water quality and supply. Currently, America faces an annual shortfall of a staggering $11 billion to comply with safe drinking water regulations.
No single region is more aware of this looming crisis than the State of California, which imports more than half of its water at high cost. TreePeople (www.treepeople.org), a Los Angeles-based organization, is tackling it with a creative twist. Founder Andy Lipkis, a kind of Johnny Appleseed, started TreePeople in 1973 with a group of fellow teenagers. It has since grown to one of the longest-standing, independent environmental groups in the country-boasting 45 employees and over 8,000 members. In addition to its urban forestry program and educational initiatives, TreePeople has become a leader on the critical water issues facing Southern California.
According to TreePeople philosophy, it is not enough to “repair” the faulty infrastructure, which merely leads to a Band-Aid effect (like cramming for an exam the night before). Instead, the problem requires a comprehensive approach. It requires new, innovative technologies to move us to long-term, sustainable solutions.
So what does TreePeople propose?
“Let’s import less water,” says Laurie Kaufman, TreePeople’s Director of Communications. “The largest cause of global warming can be attributed to energy. And the amount of energy that it takes to bring water to Southern California is enormous. Enormous! So let’s reduce the amount of water we bring in by capturing what does fall.”
The result: a nascent movement called “Integrated Urban Watershed Management.”
It sounds complicated, but the concept is simple. By upgrading the age-old cistern, invented some 5,000 years ago, TreePeople uses it to capture the rainwater that falls. The advanced technology permits the water to then be cleaned and filtered, ultimately reused to irrigate the surrounding landscape. The remaining water is infiltrated back into the soil to recharge the aquifer and avoid runoff.
Urban runoff is now the nation’s largest uncontrolled source of water pollution. According to TreePeople’s web site, the winter rains of 2005-more than 37 inches-generated over 312 billion gallons of runoff from the city’s watersheds. This excess water picks up pollutants on the way to its ultimate destination: the Pacific Ocean. By capturing stormwater for reuse and absorption by the ground, a liability turns into an asset and reduces L.A. County’s thirst for water.
Where did this idea come from?
A TREE.
A tree captures water. It holds the water, slows it down, and percolates it down into the soil. A tree acts like a gigantic tank, or modern cistern.
“We use nature’s operating instructions-the simple, elegant model of a tree-to teach us how we can help nature heal our cities,” says Kaufman.
Using these “tree-mimicking” technologies, TreePeople has implemented five demonstration projects across L.A. Country. It is referred to as the T.R.E.E.S. Project, an acronym for Transagency Resources for Environmental and Economic Sustainability.
I had the opportunity to visit one of the demonstration sites, located at TreePeople’s own 45-acre park in Coldwater Canyon. Jim Hardie, the Director of Park Operations, took me on a hike through the urban forest to their new facilities. A TreePeople veteran of 21 years, Hardie has witnessed the organization’s remarkable growth that is only gaining in traction.
“We’re in a great time now because awareness obviously is increasing. Especially in the last year-and-a-half to two years, the issues of global warming are now at least finally being discussed openly in the news, in the regular media,” says Hardie. “We’re now getting interest from all sorts of individuals and corporations and others at a much higher level.”
All of a sudden, I found myself standing atop the newly installed 220,000-gallon cistern, buried underground, which holds enough water to fill 15 swimming pools! This water container will be used to irrigate the watershed garden currently under construction, along with a LEED-certified conference center, to be completed in Spring 2008. The Hilltop Garden will also include a teaching area for kids that will compare the difference between runoff down a city street and innovative water management technologies.
As I experienced TreePeople first-hand, the vital life force of a tree took on a whole new meaning for me. In this spirit, I decided to dedicate a tree to my nephew “Luke’s” first birthday. For $25 TreePeople’s “Gift of Life” program will plant a tree in his name. To me, it is a perfect way to celebrate his budding life-filled with growth, hope and promise. It’s an affirmative gesture towards his future, and ours as a collective whole.
Apparently, I’m not the only one who’s catching on-
TreePeople’s groundbreaking work in Los Angeles is serving as a model for other cities. Its watershed technologies are beginning to generate national attention, attracting interest from policy makers. In October 2007, Lipkis taught at the Bioneers Conference in Anchorage, and then made his way to Seattle to share his knowledge with local officials. TreePeople’s hope is that these pilot projects will not only prove the feasibility of sustainable approaches, but also encourage their widespread adoption.
It is this kind of necessary, innovative work that will improve the nation’s report card. So we will then be prepared for our final exam.
For what class, you ask?
Survival.
For more information on TreePeople’s T.R.E.E.S. Project, you can link to www.treepeople.org/trees or download TreePeople’s 56-page report “Rainwater as a Resource”
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Karin Gutman - Ecoist
Karin Gutman is a writer/producer who has written and developed projects for National Geographic, Nickelodeon, Hallmark and Scholastic Entertainment. In addition to her screen work, she has authored two illustrated books. She lives in Santa Monica, a model city to which she credits her green inspiration.
Tags: cisterns, infrastructure, planting trees, watershedA Watershed Moment