Sounding Board

Wenzi said, “The path of water is such that when it rises to the sky, it becomes raindrops; when it falls to the ground, it becomes rivers.”
– Eihei Dogen Zenji’s Sansuikyo

Except right now in California, not so much. The BZC board and practice committee are looking at ways to reduce our water consumption, including:  stop watering lawns (and possibly replace lawns with bricks or drought -resistant plants), replace  remaining toilets with low-flow, and hand water most garden areas. Some of us are familiar with  other measures from past droughts, like saving sink and bath water that runs as we are waiting for hot water, flushing toilets only when  necessary, and using gray water for irrigation.

Statewide there is a mandate for 25 percent reduction in water consumption, and East Bay MUD has set some strict guidelines (www.ebmud.com). BZC  spontaneously reduced water consumption between 2013 and 2014 by 26 percent; we’re not definitively sure  of the reasons for this savings, but residents have been conserving water, we fixed a major leak  during the kitchen remodel, and we added a water-efficient clothes washer. This reduction will be  recognized by the state, so we are well on our way to our mandatory goals. However, we’d like to go beyond that and do everything we  can to conserve water, just on general principles. This will take an all-inclusive effort from the  many parts of BZC, including gardeners, residents, dishwashers and other position holders.

The board’s role is to make resources available where they can support this effort, and the whole  BZC sangha can contribute to this effort to stay responsibly connected to earth, water, fire, and
air.