"From the Desk of Kathi Wall, Program Director - MLRC"
Spring 2013
As we prepare for the upcoming season, a few thoughts run through my mind about how we can reach more people with our message. I like to start with the basics.
Homemakers are some of the most important people in the world. Remember the old saying, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world?” These words, written by poet William Ross Wallace in the mid-1800’s, guided womanhood and motherhood for the next seven decades. World War Two was a game-changer for women. They stepped into the workforce in unprecedented numbers and before 1940, the hand that rocked the cradle also riveted aircraft and tanks.
Today, it’s generally accepted that women work outside the home, necessitating the generation of new language, such as “stay-at-home dad” and “Mr. Mom.” So, whomever you are, doing laundry, scrubbing floors, cleaning bathrooms, and cooking meals, this is for YOU.
The average American uses 80-100 gallons of water a day (USGS), flushing toilets, bathing, drinking, washing clothes, cooking meals, and washing cars. In a country of 300 million people, over half of whom are adults, that’s a show-stopping minimum of 12,000,000,000 gallons of fresh water each and every day!
As well as wondering where all of that fresh water comes from, we ought to be thinking about how we might save (at least) some of that precious resource.
I DO want all of us to think about how NOT to waste water ….. sort of a Group Think Activity (GTA). I’ll list a few of the items I think about and you can send your thoughts to me for future publications. Here I go …….
1. If you steam clean your floors (with one of several new steam mops on the market) one can do an entire 12-15 foot room with 1/2 cup of water. The resulting floor is cleaner and sanitized, which is important if one has pets or lives on a farm. Steam has been a standard cleaning agent in industrial shops for many years, and easy technology is now available for household use.
2. You do not have to use water-polluting chemicals to get things clean. My grandmother taught me how to make a paste from baking soda and water, which works well on enamel surfaces, bathroom tiles and shower stalls. It’s definitely NOT a wipe-on, wipe-off system as chemical cleaners are, but the elbow grease used in its administration strengthens the upper arms.
That’s it! … Now it’s your turn. I need your help to think of all the ways that we, in our “ordinary lives”, can begin to do extraordinary things to save these wonderful Central Maine lakes. Visit the Maine Lakes Resource Center at 137 Main Street in Belgrade Lakes to pick up other tips and ideas from the conservation organizations housed in the building …. Or call 207-495-3617 …. Or email kwallmainelakes@gmail.com.
In addition, a "Shout Out" to Belgrade Lakes Association who are sponsoring the Chewonki Foundation to come to the MLRC on Tuesday, June 25th at 2 PM to present a hands-on workshop and demonstration on Zero Waste Management (for the Home) .
Chewonki will be presenting some great programs at the MLRC this summer. Thanks to the Belgrade Lakes Association, we will get to see raptors, owls, and other lakes-related creatures this summer.
Be sure to check out our summer schedule on the Events Page.