Water Harvesting

Julianne Kaphar collecting 33 gallons of water for her family at a natural spring in Harwinton, Connecticut. Photo credit: Rachel Liu

Two Part Show:
#1 Water Harvesting: Julianne Kaphar shares some water wisdom as we travel with her to a natural spring where she collects 33 gallons of pure water for her family each month.
#2  Black Art Jazz Collective: All-star band founders Wayne Escoffery and Jeremy Pelt talk about being positive role models, the importance of celebrating Jazz as Black American music and compositions inspired by African American political icons. (Starts at minute 20:17)

Photo credit: Rachel Liu

Photo credit: Rachel Liu

Photo credit: Rachel Liu

A few months ago my family and I were invited to my friend Julianne Kaphar’s house for dinner. She and I had done some community food education work together, so I knew the meal would be fabulous and filled with home grown veggies and lots of very intentionally sourced and prepared ingredients. My surprise came when she placed two glass carafes on the table, sweating from the cool water inside, and said they were from a spring she goes to each month to collect water for her family.  Well, my jaw just dropped. I took a sip and it was delicious, really really delicious. Despite a lifetime of thinking about healthy food and eating unprocessed ingredients, it had never really occurred to me to go find fresh spring water, straight from the earth to drink every day. I joked that it was “raw” water, but I was seriously intrigued, and asked if I could join her on the hour long trek to see this spring and how she manages to haul 33 gallons of water home each month for her family.

The threats to clean drinking water are only becoming more and more clear. The catastrophe of contaminated water in Flint Michigan or the hurricanes that ravaged Puerto Rico, Texas and beyond are leaving many without access to clean drinking water. Julianne opened my eyes to a world of natural springs where people have been gathering clean pure water for generations.

Photo credit: Rachel Liu

Throughout this interview Julianne shares her deep knowledge and commitment to nourishing her family with the healthiest foods and drinks she is able to. Thyroid disease motivated her to find water free of chlorine and fluoride, elements that are particularly dangerous to people with this condition. As she states so beautifully in our conversation, her monthly pilgrimage to this spring nourishes her in many other ways as well: 

"One of the reasons that I love coming out here and gathering that water is because it incorporates all the different parts of my life that are meaningful to me: it's nutrition, it's spirituality and connection with nature, it's movement and lifting heavy things, and it's time alone. It's just all these things that are really nourishing and meaningful to me, come together in this one experience." 

Getting to witness this practice with Julianne, from her kitchen, to the spring and back to her home, glass of water in hand, was profoundly fulfilling to me. When people so fully embody their love and passions and make the type of commitment to them that she has in nourishing her family, it exudes the principals of radical love and creative social justice, fills my heart and screams to be shared with others. 

Much gratitude to Rachel Liu for joining us on this adventure and snapping such beautiful photos to help illustrate this story! You can see more of her incredible photography at www.rachelliuphoto.com

Photo credit: Rachel Liu

Photo credit: Rachel Liu

Water is the most vital nutrient we have, and in just a few generations we have severely damaged this natural resource. Finding and protecting natural springs, and connecting with groups working to clean up the sources of our water are all things we can do to help. 

Check our this Find a Spring site and be sure to have the water tested for safety if you are going to consume it, especially in large quantities. 

To work on national and international water clean up, find resources at the National Resources Defense Council. If you are local to the New Haven, CT area, and want to get involved with cleaning up our water ways you can contact The Greater New Haven Water Works Coalition. 

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW AT THE TOP OF THIS POST
OR ON ANY PODCASTING SITE YOU USE. 

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