A common response to the environmental crises of today is simply “There is nothing I can do.” A valid belief, considering the magnitude of this issue, but not exactly a constructive one. Luckily, there are students like Arthrav Naidu, a junior at San Mateo High School, who take matters into their own hands by focusing on local ways to go green and make a difference.
Naidu founded Policy for Good, a foundation that has the primary goal of showcasing the “importance and benefits of using graywater instead of tap water when growing your own food and plants locally,” as Naidu explains. Graywater is the output from washing machines, dishwashers and sinks that is safe to use when watering plants. It is an excellent alternative to fresh water, which is fast becoming a limitation in creating local gardens because of how scarce it is and how difficult it is to transport.
Naidu discovered the importance of graywater through his mother — he saw her pouring the water she had used to clean the dishes into the plants.
“I wanted to know if it was safe for plants to use that kind of water,” Naidu explains, “so I designed an experiment to test it out.”
Using bean plants in his trials, Naidu discovered that the graywater that contains biodegradable detergent and no bleach was just as good as regular tap water when it comes to helping plants grow.
“After my experiment, I was concerned that graywater wasn’t being talked about enough,” Naidu maintains, “so I have since been on a mission to provide this information to libraries and communities throughout the Peninsula.”
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Policy for Good accomplishes Naidu’s mission by distributing grow kits called “Plant in a Box” to various communities. Grow kits are sets that contain all the components and instructions needed to plant a garden in small spaces. Though such equipment costs upwards of $15 on the market, Naidu used sustainable materials like coconut husks for soil to reduce the price all the way to a mere $3. His grow kit called “Plant in a Box” kills two birds with one stone because it both spreads awareness on the value of graywater, and encourages people that might not have had sufficient resources or space otherwise to take up gardening.
Naidu faced several obstacles on his way to establishing this project, but the most prominent of them was trying to find a way to reduce the price of the grow kits by such a drastic amount. He faced the issue head-on, though, by personally contacting numerous manufacturers and persuading them into making effective deals with him by explaining his purpose and mission.
By persevering in such a way, Naidu achieved great success in his organization, running his program in six libraries, from San Mateo to South San Francisco, and teaching as many as 400 kids about the importance of growing their own. He also raised $1,100 through GoFundMe to finance the development of his Plant in a Box.
Despite these impressive successes, Naidu’s mission is far from complete: He aims to reach Policy for Good out to six more libraries and hundreds of more young minds within the following year. He is also in the process of building a graywater filter, an invention that would signal a massive step toward a much more green and sustainable future.
“I am hoping, with these efforts, city, county and state governments take note, and look into enacting policies for graywater reuse,” Naidu said. “I also hope that the next generation will be less afraid to reuse graywater in their own garden.”
Samidha Mishra is a senior at San Mateo High School. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.
Motivated to now do my share due to the new water reduction mandate
Always felt there should be another sink to save the water from boiling noodles, potatoes, eggs, etc. Too hot to pour into houseplants, nor outdoor plants.
Now going to keep a plastic, 5 gallon bucket just for that. Once cooled enough, water the indoor plants & whatever is left water the garden.
There are millions of gallons dumped into the bay each day by our sewage plant.
There are technologies & processes that can turn those millions of gallons per day into potable water. That then can be pumped into our existing potable water delivery system (CalWater) without great cost of building another infrastructure
Issue is with the "Yuk factor", where folks won't drink treated sewage water. Even though certified potable.
Here are some links been saving for future discussions like this one:
Water Flowing From Toilet to Tap May Be Hard to Swallow
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — Water spilled out of a spigot, sparklingly clear, into a plastic cup. Just 45 minutes earlier, it was effluent, piped over from Orange County’s wastewater treatment plant next door. At a specialized plant, it then went through several stages of purification that left it cleaner than anything that flows out of a home faucet or comes in a brand-name bottle.
Great article! And what a fantastic young person! During our remodel we installed grey water outlets on either side of our house (1 for bathing water & 1 for the washing machine) so that during dry periods we can just flip the switches and water our yards with the water we use in the house! I really recommend https://oasisdesign.net, they have helpful (free) diagrams & books (for sale). Every little bit helps!
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(2) comments
Great article and ideas
Motivated to now do my share due to the new water reduction mandate
Always felt there should be another sink to save the water from boiling noodles, potatoes, eggs, etc. Too hot to pour into houseplants, nor outdoor plants.
Now going to keep a plastic, 5 gallon bucket just for that. Once cooled enough, water the indoor plants & whatever is left water the garden.
There are millions of gallons dumped into the bay each day by our sewage plant.
There are technologies & processes that can turn those millions of gallons per day into potable water. That then can be pumped into our existing potable water delivery system (CalWater) without great cost of building another infrastructure
Issue is with the "Yuk factor", where folks won't drink treated sewage water. Even though certified potable.
Here are some links been saving for future discussions like this one:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-toilet-to-tap-what-cities-need-to-do-to-make-it-happen-11558105505
From Toilet to Tap: What Cities Need to Overcome to Make That Happen
Recycled sewage will be a part of more cities’ water supplies in the future. But how do you get past the yuck factor?
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2011/04/04/from-wastewater-to-drinking-water/
From Wastewater to Drinking Water
https://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com/blog/drinking-water/is-drinking-recycled-sewage-water-really-that-gross
Is Drinking Recycled Sewage Water Really that Gross?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywhYu2FRJTk
Treatment process turns wastewater into drinking water
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhkO_hchlpw
Eco India: Treating sewage water to make it drinkable could hold the answer to Delhi’s water woes
https://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com/blog/drinking-water/is-drinking-recycled-sewage-water-really-that-gross
Is Drinking Recycled Sewage Water Really that Gross?
https://policyinstitute.ucdavis.edu/improving-public-perception-of-water-reuse/
Improving public perception of water reuse
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/12/science/recycled-drinking-water-getting-past-the-yuck-factor.html
Water Flowing From Toilet to Tap May Be Hard to Swallow
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — Water spilled out of a spigot, sparklingly clear, into a plastic cup. Just 45 minutes earlier, it was effluent, piped over from Orange County’s wastewater treatment plant next door. At a specialized plant, it then went through several stages of purification that left it cleaner than anything that flows out of a home faucet or comes in a brand-name bottle.
https://blog.bccresearch.com/toilet-to-tap-drinking-water-legislation-aims-to-overcome-the-yuck-factor
"Toilet to Tap’ Drinking Water Bill Aims to Overcome the ‘Yuck Factor’
https://www.npr.org/2018/02/20/587195891/california-aims-to-get-past-the-yuck-factor-of-recycled-wastewater
California Aims To Get Past The Yuck Factor Of Recycled Wastewater
https://lucidmanager.org/marketing/recycled-water-yuck-factor/
The Psychology of the Recycled Water Yuck Factor
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619330665
Can conformity overcome the yuck factor? Explaining the choice for recycled drinking water
https://theconversation.com/why-we-can-get-over-the-yuck-factor-when-it-comes-to-recycled-water-65108
Why we can get over the ‘yuck factor’ when it comes to recycled water
Great article! And what a fantastic young person! During our remodel we installed grey water outlets on either side of our house (1 for bathing water & 1 for the washing machine) so that during dry periods we can just flip the switches and water our yards with the water we use in the house! I really recommend https://oasisdesign.net, they have helpful (free) diagrams & books (for sale). Every little bit helps!
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.