I'm of the opinion/understanding that we can't fully purify water at scale with current/emerging practices or meet increasing water needs with a shifting climate and lower precipitation using the means we rely on currently.

Off-grid/etc. lifestyles push the envelope on what is possible on a smaller scale. As most people have to get very creative to meet their needs, such as where their water comes from and solve their waste in a sustainable way. Some people have very primitive and environmentally-unfriendly setups (even when considering the small scale of their pollution/etc.) and I'm not pointing to them, I'm pointing to the people who eliminate their black water output (through composting or other means), and limit the chemicals/etc. that go into their grey water and find ways to reuse it.

I'm of the perspective that we put far too many things down the drain and that sewage/black water shouldn't be circulated in the way that it is, because it is too contaminated for further use - be it used for irrigation, as a fertilizer, or as a soil additive. Even grey water I doubt can be fully purified at scale with the amount of chemicals being dumped by the average person or industry.

I'd like to point to rising cancer rates and general levels of disease as evidence that our practices aren't sufficient. People aren't magically getting cancer at massive and increasing rates because they are simply genetically-prone, I believe there are major environmental factors and uncomfortable truths that are not being accounted for because our government is not operating in the best interest of the public that it serves.

The way I see it, people who implement these setups on a smaller-scale will be positioned to influence their local policies and governments, alongside the people they share their lifestyle and solutions with, for a better future.

[–] zagaberoo@beehaw.org 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I see what you're saying. I find it hard to believe vanlifers and offgridders are the vanguard of a more sustainable future though.

I don't see how all the world's people individually handling waste can work better than centralized expert processing, especially in more dense areas.

[–] M1ch431@lemmy.ml 1 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

It's certainly not the very well-meaning capitalists, the fossil fuel executives who buy our governments, the "defense" industry, or the corporations who produce the products we consume that are driving the ship for a more sustainable and healthy future. It's incompatible with profit, their short-term goals, and their existing industries. Academics and researchers are neutered and mostly silenced and well-meaning individuals who try to effect change are only able to make very small strides to their causes because of the immense resistance our systems engage in to stop progress.

The only way things change is if people start taking personal responsibility, and extend that responsibility and care out to their communities. People who live off-grid/etc. lifestyles are probably more involved than the average person in their local affairs and I do believe they are raising their consciousness about their impact on the world around them and are taking responsibility at a much greater level than the average person.

We outsource our responsibility to people and entities who really don't care if we are poisoned; they just care that their products and solutions sound good on paper and don't sound alarms to those in the know. Like this: https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story

Our water is absolutely full of PFAs (remediation is only just beginning to start) and our waste is being used to grow the food we eat https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/02/texas-farmers-pfas-forever-chemicals-biosolids-fertilizer/ (without proper testing, completely disregarding human health) - I can't imagine it's wonderful even as a soil additive.

There is so much pollution from our practices. When you look at the maps that show pollution, it's really hard to believe that we know about every little bit or even a small fraction when corporations knowingly poison our waterways/etc. en masse like this: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/wastewater-from-tyson-meat-processing-plants-is-polluting-u-s-waterways-report-says

As for denser areas like cities, of course some solution or slow evolution will be needed, but I don't think it can't be solved by simply filtering the water better or adding more complexity to broken systems. I think it will take a lot more than that to truly ensure clean water in areas that already are very unhealthy to reside in.

I'd say putting caps and restrictions on what chemicals we can produce (that we cannot meaningfully dispose of) and limiting household and commercial chemical use (because there is no proper way to dispose of them) is the bare minimum. Moving essential industry away from densely populated areas and waterways might also be necessary because these companies cannot be trusted and regulation is broken (or functioning as intended because the cost benefit analysis decides people should just get sick and die instead of corporations losing profit like with asbestos).

[–] zagaberoo@beehaw.org 1 points 5 hours ago

Who said anything about capitalism? I'm talking about centralization. Expecting countless individuals to be able to do something as well as specialists can do it just doesn't make sense to me.

"Personal responsibility" is a red herring used by those in power to try and shift the blame off of institutions with real power. We need institutional change first and foremost.

Off-gridders are primarily dilettantes who have the money to pretend they're disconnected from the system.