Twenty years ago, we put bricks in our
toilet tanks to save water. “Landscapes” sometimes consisted of gravel. Timers in showers reminded us we were singing too long and wasting a valuable resource. California was in the grip of a drought that extended into the 1990s.
That was then.
Now we have a tapestry of programs, technology and legislative mandates designed to create a multi-layered, holistic approach to conservation. It makes doing the right and water-wise thing such a natural part of life that many people aren’t even aware that they are doing it.
Today, conservation is a necessity for California, driven by the realities of a semi-arid region poised to gain 20 million new residents in the next two decades, as well as increased demand from neighboring states for Colorado River water. But instead of mandating conservation, the growing trend among groups throughout the state—including Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and its member agencies—is to market the concept as a kinder, gentler lifestyle choice.
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