The water that flows from a typical household faucet often travel thousands of miles from its original source, having first been scrubbed clean, chlorinated, and fluoridated, before it arrives at your house. This is a staggering achievement, yet we hardly give it a second thought. The water that washes our sweaty faces and dirty hands is filled with the kind of biological nutrients that many plants crave. Yet, for most homes, this 'grey water' is delivered directly into the city sewer system, forcing most home owners use 'clean' city water for their plants. What a shame. Instead, ask your local building department if they allow grey water systems, which naturally recycles this water by using it to nourish your non-edible garden. Unfortunately, many cities have yet to adopt a grey water policy. So if your city doesn't allow grey water use, ask why, and if your persistent you may get your local officials to reconsider. This is exactly what we did in the City of Los Angeles and now they are creating a grey water policy. Since installing our own grey water system, we are mindful about what we pour down the drain since it ends up in our plants. This requires that we change our consumption habits, forcing us to be conscious about the ingredients of the products we buy. Phosphates based soaps are no longer allowed in the our house, for fear of poisoning our plants, not to mention our bodies. Which raises a larger question, if the ingredients in many non-organic soaps are harmful to plants, then why do we assume they are okay for us.
Jeremy Levine was a guest on Renovation Nation. Check out Jeremy's website here.
