101 Water Wise Ways by Helen Moffett

The water crisis – or Day Zero as we call it here in Cape Town – may have been averted by an incredible winter rainfall this past year, but it doesn't mean that we should stop our water-saving activities. Helen Moffett wrote 101 Water Wise Ways during the height of the panic, when Capetonians were counting down the days until Day Zero while anxiously glancing at the rapidly plunging dam levels. This book is chock-full of tips for those of us who wish to do our bit when it's clear our government has failed us.

While we were granted a reprieve thanks to a good winter, and some folks may even have returned to their previously wasteful water habits (I'm looking at my neighbour with his obsession with hosing down his car every other day), there are, I'm sure, quite a few of us who haven't forgotten that dull sense of impending doom knowing that the taps might run dry within a matter of weeks.

So, getting back to this book. There are so many tips here, from how to handle your bathroom and personal hygiene, all the way to how to cope with your kitchen, and even tips for visitors to the Mother City. Helen's passion for this topic shines through, and she writes in an easy-to-digest, factual (and often humorous) tone that most certainly succeeds in making the entire water situation far less gloomy.

This book is imbued with a 'can do' attitude, that no matter how awful things get, readers can be inspired to find systems that will work for themselves and their communities. Most importantly, emphasis is placed on finding solutions that work for you individually – not every household can approach water saving as a cookie-cutter process. If you care about water, and understand how absolutely vital water security is, then give 101 Water Wise Ways a shot. Even better, buy a copy for your local school or library.