Thoughts Happen

The Last Suburban Taboo?

When I tried it the first time I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I didn’t see any other way. I put all thoughts of how risky it might be out of my mind and in a quick motion took my first hit. It was remarkably easy. Too easy. After that I couldn’t stop myself, and it just became part of my routine. I got a little thrill each time—feeling like I was getting away with something made it that much more addicting. And my family didn’t even seem to notice any difference.

What if the neighbors found out? I wonder if any of them are doing it? If they are, they’re certainly not talking about it. But it doesn’t matter to me anymore because at this point I don’t know if I’ll ever go back. I’m breaking the last suburban taboo and I don’t care what people think.

That’s right, I’m drinking tap water—straight. Ya wanna make something of it?

For years we’ve avoided the tap. In our old neighborhood we got cases of half-gallon bottles delivered twice a month, and for the past decade we’ve filtered our water in Brita pitchers, shelling out for expensive cartridges, dealing with hard-water buildup, broken plastic parts and carbon floaties in the bottom of the glass.

After the last pitcher broke I decided to try the new ZeroWater pitcher I found at Target—after all, I had a coupon. I loved the bottom spigot and floatie-free filter, and the nifty gadget they include to measure total dissolved solids appealed to my inner science geek. But my husband thought the water tasted a little off.

At first I put it down to an overly sensitive palate. After all, the man grew up in Montana and expects water to taste like it just dribbled down from a glacier. But after a few pitchers I noticed it too. A distinctly chemically taste that intensified after sitting. I’m not nearly as particular as he is, but soon even I couldn’t stand it.

What to do? I couldn’t stomach going back to Brita, loathe individual water bottles, and my deeply engrained homeowner’s inertia balks at any project involving lots of research, a major purchase and a plumber. So I grabbed a Tupperware juice pitcher, filled it from the tap and plunked it in the fridge. Problem solved.

That was several weeks ago, and I tell ya, this simple act has made me feel freer. Every time I reach for the pitcher I think, “I’m not paying anything extra for this water.” My thrifty Scottish nature cheers and I feel like I am so getting away with something. It doesn’t taste bad, either. Apparently I like dissolved solids.

Am I endangering my family by serving them tap water? Probably not. Well, hopefully not. This is the United States, not some dodgy Third World backwater, but I sigh and remember the old Joe Jackson lyric, "Everything gives you cancer."  

All I know is I feel empowered by not giving in to fear-mongering corporations trying to persuade me to part with my hard-earned cash for something I might not even need that doesn't make the water taste any better. Drinking tap water is my way of Sticking it To the Man. 

Choosing to Succeed: The Chula Vista Nature Center

My husband recently finished reading Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond, the author of Guns, Germs, and Steel. I had him give me the Cliff's Notes version of Collapse, as I am unlikely to read either of these books myself. So what does this have to do with the Chula Vista Nature Center?  I understand one of the basic tenets of Diamond's book is that one element of how societies can choose to succeed (I love that notion of choosing our reality), is by understanding that the environment we live in is inextricably entwined with our society, and that the reasoning for preserving the habitat and the creatures around us is isn't to save them, it's to save us. All of us. There isn't really any us and them—we're all in this together. That's why I was concerned enough to write to the City of Chula Vista at the beginning of the month urging them to keep the Chula Vista Nature Center open, as I blogged about on 11/29. The Center not only preserves habitat, but it provides education to the community and schoolchildren about why it's important to do so. Keeping it open may be one very small choice, but one conscious choice can be a powerful thing.

So upon returning from Christmas in Northern California earlier this week there was a very nice letter in my stack of mail from Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox. The upshot of the letter was that the city is currently $20M short in its 2009-2010 budget and looking for cuts that would result in the least number of layoffs while still retaining public library hours and other recreation and public works services. And while not explicitly stating that the Nature Center would be preserved, Mayor Cox did note that the Friends of the Chula Vista Nature Center did receive a $125,000 donation from Sempra, and a challenge grant was issued by an anonymous donor which would match any donations dollar for dollar up to $125,000, of which $115,000 have been matched. I figured that it was now my turn to put my money where my mouth is and sent off a check yesterday. 

The matching challenge runs out tomorrow, December 31, and any donations mailed by the 31st are tax-deductible for 2008, so if choosing an environmentally stable future for all of us is something you'd like to do, consider taking the small step of mailing out a check tomorrow to the Friends of the Chula Vista Nature Center, 1000 Gunpowder Point Drive, Chula Vista, CA 91910. I'll be sure to post updates as I get them.