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Conversating about Water Conservation and Permeable Pavement

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Conversating about Water Conservation and Permeable Pavement

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My mother and I had a very meaningful conversation about permeable pavement, a certain type of pavement that has little crevices to allow rainfall and put the excess rain into a reservoir to prevent the rain from harming the soil. This allows water to flow and help rather than hurt the plants and soil. I discussed how this is helpful to have and how we have permeable pavement up the top where we met up for our outdoor classes. She then talked about how she experienced major flooding when she was younger living in West Side Scranton. Her first-hand experience watching water flood her neighbors' homes made her feel bad for them.

After discussing permeable pavement, my mother and I then discussed the book “Eat Less Water,” a book we had to complete for class. My mother read a few pages while I was discussing my infuriation with the book. I complained about how much more informed I am now about my food choices, which was the most impactful thing to me in that book. She ended up reading a few pages from my personal copy of the book. She also believed that this was mildly infuriating as now she feels obligated to be conscious when buying meat, for example, from the store.

I told her that in a later chapter, this book talks about how coffee is another major part of the problem. She was shell-struck. I ended up telling her “Yeah, basically, K-Cups are a very hard type of plastic to recycle because of how flimsy and thin they are.” to which her response was “Are you ****ing kidding me, Sophia?” I wish I was kidding, that actually happened. I feel as though this conversation ruined her day.

After a bit of book talk, we collectively decided that we would research a few things that we believed would be hard to recycle or to change about our diets in order to be more water-conscious. I’m having a hard time recollecting what brand we settled on having for our steak dinners, however, we did end up buying a steak from the store and ate it. I know we shouldn’t really be eating meat, however, we usually have steak dinners on Wednesdays and this conversation ended up landing on a Wednesday. Sorry, not sorry, it was delicious.

We somehow landed back on the topic of permeable pavement because we simply said “How did pavement turn into food?” So, we got right back on topic with permeable pavement. I discussed that in class, and we watched a video on how that some plants can take a lot of rainwater. I remembered that key point and mentioned it. I believe if I remember correctly, that I thought that the IHM center had those plants right next to the permeable pavement spots. Again, I could be totally lying, but I think that’s what I saw. She exclaimed how she thought that it was a cool fact about campus she did not know.

After we ended our conversation, like I said, we ate our water-conscious steak and both grew after having a meaningful conversation.

(Pictured is a photo I took during classtime on Oct. 29thof a comparison between regular[L] vs. permeable[R] pavement)

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Oksana’s Visit to Marywood Heights & Water Consciousness in the Kitchen

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Oksana’s Visit to Marywood Heights & Water Consciousness in the Kitchen

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About a few weeks ago, I brought my young puppy, Oksana, to Marywood Heights as a part of her dog training journey. While Oksana was there, I noticed the food that the residents had been eating. The cooks who work at Marywood Heights are very diligent with keeping a clean atmosphere for their consumers. While Oksana was playing with the residents, I talked to one of the chefs, whom’s name I do not remember, and I discussed water conservation in the kitchen.

Firstly, the chef discussed the necessary but continuous cleaning procedures in nursing home kitchens that significantly wastewater. The need to keep a clean and almost sterile environment is very important to elderly patients who have weakened immune systems. The need to prevent and stop the spread of infections is vital. Continuous cleaning of surfaces, utensils, and equipment and the water wasted while doing so significantly escalates water consumption. An easy way to cut down on water usage would be to use spray bottles instead of high-pressure hoses or install water-saving faucets.

Secondly, the preparation of food in nursing home kitchens also involves extensive washing which leads to even more water waste.  Fruits and vegetables are always washed before use.  The problem is that they peel the skin, removing what they washed.  Wouldn’t it be better to just peel them?  The usual way these fruits and vegetables are washed is by running them under a continuous stream of water, unnecessary and wasteful.  Trying to collect and repurpose rinse water for secondary use or installing water-saving systems can help to stop this waste.

Outdated and inefficient kitchen equipment can make water waste even worse in nursing homes.  Older dishwashing machines are not fitted with water and energy-saving measures as today’s models are.  Nursing homes can’t afford to invest in new dishwashers and other such equipment are really wasting water.  If a home cannot afford to upgrade their equipment, regular maintenance of existing equipment and staff training on water-conserving methods could help.

In nursing homes where meals are prepared for the residents on a large scale, the amount of silverware and dishes used in simply serving the food and having to wash them contributes to water waste. Manual dishwashing with a high-pressure pre-rinse should be replaced with energy-efficient machines with water recycling abilities or even just do dishes in batches to cut down on the amount of water wastage.

To address the water waste in nursing home kitchens, a multifaceted approach is needed.  This can include raising awareness and training staff on the importance of water waste and conservation.  Upgrading equipment with water-saving technology, and sensor-based faucets will also play a big role in reducing water consumption.  In my opinion, the more people realize the little ways the are wasting large amounts of water and the small steps they can take to change that, the rest will take care of itself.  People will feel a sense of responsibility and at least pause before doing something wasteful. 1``

After having such a meaningful conversation with the chef, I told him the reason why I asked was because in my Water science class, we were discussing excessive waste. He then was very grateful for me asking my inquiry. After that, I continued back to monitor my dog's excessive energy with the residents.

(Pictured is a resident with Oksana.)