WiserEarth Blog

If you’ve spent any time on the WiserEarth events, groups, or resources sections, it’s likely you’ve run into GreenEric. He’s the ‘Water guy’, always posting the latest activity, primarily on more efficient uses of the stuff. So who is he? What drives him? Could his answers to these questions inspire you to take a closer look at one of our most precious resources on earth?

First steps on WiserEarth

During a class at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA with permaculture activists Kat Steele and Ben Fahrer, Eric was introduced to WiserEarth. From there, he joined a number of groups including Northern California American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association.  He became an inspired contributor and administrator of this group and then expanded out to create the Graywater Solutions, and Green Infrastructure-Low Impact Development Solutions Groups.

Boots on the ground

Eric has a broad background as a civil and environmental engineer.  He designs and builds green infrastructure, including graywater and rainwater catchment systems, living roofs and floating treatment wetlands. He has been working primarily with Hyphae Design Laboratory, an innovative ecological design firm which emphasizes regenerative ecosystems in design and construction. He recently designed a graywater system for the Esalen Institute and led the installation as a part of Kat Steele’s Ecoliteracy in Action class.

Eric’s career path encompasses restoration and transition.  “I used to do projects where I was cleaning up soil and groundwater contamination.  While that is very interesting and valuable work, I eventually realized that it’s more important for our society to transition to a sustainable future.  Cleaning up messes from the past is important, but unless we can create sustainable systems, our systems and infrastructure will break down and then everything will be a mess.”

In the past few years, Eric has transitioned to working with sustainable water infrastructure.  “I work with people who want to be more sustainable with their water use, but don’t know how.  A lot of times, people will be doing a remodel or building a new house, but the builder or architect won’t have the expertise with water reuse and water efficient technologies, so they look to people like me to design them a system. I put it together and give them numbers, how much they save per year in gallons and dollars. They’re sold on the idea generally, but just don’t have the information.”

It affects us

Eric finds satisfaction in working out water-use solutions, and then spreading the news. WiserEarth is one tool in his getting the word out. “Water issues are big in California,” he notes of his home state. “It can be a challenge to make the economic case.  People want a quick payback, but water is getting more scarce and it will definitely be more expensive in the future.  California’s population is expected to double by 2050, and the supply is expected to drop due to climate change and a decrease in the Sierra snow pack.  The per capita water supply will keep dropping, so the only thing we can do is increase efficiency and reuse.”

Graywater, for the uninitiated, refers to any water used for washing in the home, everything from dishwater, shower, to laundry and sink, excluding toilet water. A graywater system treats and filters this water so it can be used for irrigation, supplementing water from the tap.

“In a sense, graywater is pioneering, ahead of the curve,” Eric says. “If we conserve water through efficient landscaping and graywater, every gallon saved is a gallon that doesn’t have to be taken from a faraway ecosystem, pumped across the state, treated and then pumped to the tap. And if you combine that with rainwater catchment, you can take the water from those watersheds and use it two or three times.  For example, we can design a system to catch the rain for free off the roof, store it, then use it to wash our clothes.  We take the graywater from the washing machine to irrigate an apple tree in the back yard, then eat the fruit, compost the apple core and build the soil, which sequesters carbon.  It’s all about closing the loop and modeling our human systems on the stable models of nature.”

Saving water also saves energy that is used to pump it, treat it to potable standards and then treat the wastewater before it is discharged to the environment.  According to the California Energy Commission, “water-related energy uses annually account for roughly 20 percent of the state’s electricity consumption, one-third of non-power plant natural gas consumption, and about 88 million gallons of diesel fuel consumption.”

“The potential is tremendous. We estimate that you can derive around forty gallons per person per day of graywater production, and half of that water is used for landscape irrigation,” Eric comments. “If you can make your landscape more water-efficient, use graywater and/or rainwater, you can save a lot of water and not feel guilty taking a nice long shower when you need one.”

Political issues play a role, and graywater professionals work to reassure public health officials about safety concerns. Eric has been involved with the graywater community in lobbying state officials to rewrite the graywater plumbing code. The code has recently been changed to allow people to install simple systems without a permit.

Making connections

Eric recalls meeting Frank Patton, one of the other editors. “I called him up six months ago, and talked to him about water and his experiences with the site.” The two had a common bond in their interests as well as relating on the challenges of forming online groups and distributing content, and later met in person at the editors meetup. He enjoys being a part of the editors’ community. “Participating in the editors group creates more unity and connection on the site,” he says, “and the local event was really nice.”

The site has also broadened his circle in some ways. Eric says, “WiserEarth is a way to encounter others that may not live nearby, often people that have created their own groups. It’s interesting to see the presence people can create online. It’s funny because sometimes I recognize people by their handle rather than their name and vice versa. Some people I’ve run into have said, ‘Oh, you’re GreenEric!’ It feels good to know that my efforts are being felt. ”

How to help

“I keep trying to get the word out about issues that I feel are important,” Eric says, “It feels good to post an event and make a connection.  It benefits both the people attending the event and the people hosting the event.  You make a connection and the network of sustainability is strengthened.”

His advice to people who want to get involved: “You can learn a lot of information from the resources on my sites, attend the listed events and get hands-on experience with workshops. Find an opportunity to get out there and get your hands dirty!” Eric concludes, “The main thing to remember is that WiserEarth is a constant creation of online community. Community is what we make it. I see a lot of groups where one or two  people are doing all the work. So get involved, start adding something, don’t just keep events to yourself, let other people know. Let’s make it a vibrant, active place to connect and build a sustainable network together!”

Eric’s graywater installation class at Esalen

More resources: WiserEarth Editors Group (editors moderate content, help make connections between members, and provide support to new members)

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