World Water Day: when in drought, consult a baobab tree!
This year’s World Water Day has even more significance for South Africa than usual, as we are in the grip of a major drought that saw Cape Town narrowly avert Day Zero – for the time being. It goes without saying that we all have a responsibility to use water wisely. Baobabs live in really dry areas and have evolved not to waste a single drop so perhaps we should tap into some of their thousand-year old wisdom! Here are three ways to learn from baobab trees:
1. A Short Shower goes a long way
Baobabs have a very shallow and wide-reaching spread out root system, as opposed to a tap-root system. This means they are able to absorb water from the first rains and from the shortest of showers.
So be water wise with short showers 🙂
2. Store Your Water in a Trunk?
Well no, not really! However, baobabs do store water in their trunks; the trunk is like a vast sponge and up to 75% of the trunk can be used just for water storage. (And no, you can’t just install a tap into a baobab trunk and simply turn it on for running water! See this blog for more on this myth)
Fix all dripping taps and leaking pipes, collect rainwater, use a grey water system to re-use household water waste, and don’t let usable water simply run down the drain. You can even use water you’ve used to cook pasta or vegetables to water plants once its cooled down of course.
3. Ask Yourself What’s Really Necessary
Baobabs are very careful consumers of their water, only using it when they really have to; for leaf growth, flower growth, photosynthesis and for basic survival.
The days of thoughtless waste are over. #BeBaobabWise
