Recap of services previously offered through Sweetwater Collaborative:
May 2021- Talk of drought is in the air in our community. For a bit of time, many people considered we have had a reprieve from dealing with that stress locally, since Lake Cachuma was officially full and set to provide our water needs for the next few years. Granted, we had other stresses to deal with during the Pandemic, but that particular one was not on most people’s radar so much.
Currently, however, ‘drought’ is projected to happen in our community and much of California, again, soon. Das Williams, in a recent email newsletter, said, “Right now, Santa Barbara County is at about half of its average rainfall for this time of year. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows the county in a moderate to severe drought, depending on the area. Although the word 'drought' often induces fear and helplessness, there is actually a lot you can do as an individual to reduce your water consumption by implementing water wise strategies and programs.”
Yes, but where to begin? What strategies make the most sense for you, for those who live with you, and for the space where your live- whether you are a homeowner or renter? Sweetwater can give you both general and specific information about ideas and strategies that work well for our area and that can fit your budget and lifestyle.
Beyond water conservation- a way of living in which we use innovative water sources as much as practical, and embrace a sense of place - can support a lifestyle of aesthetics, abundance and adventure. This is what we teach about and model at Sweetwater.
Sweetwater’s expertise is in providing education, workshops, and trainings about these practices for sustainable water management.
Sweetwater offered initial site visit consultations that typically included looking at the feasibility of possible water-wise projects in the landscape, recommendations for other water-wise practices on your site, and learning about innovative water sources for home and garden. Visits were billed at $60-75 for the first hour or less, and in 15-minute increments at $60-75/hour for any additional time spent on site. One follow-up email was included in this service.