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I was saddened to hear that another great intellect – and
friend – has left the planet.
I am sure many millions of viewers enjoyed this bow-tied
meteorologist’s reporting of the weather in his “old school” style. Today,
there’s hardly anyone like him, and all the television stations prefer that
short skirts report on the weather to help boost ratings.
As a writer and columnist for the Pasadena Star News in the
1980s, I used to call Dr. Fischbeck and get his opinion about some
weather-related issue. He always managed to get to the phone, and was always
eager to chat. For example, he told me
that there is no such thing as reliable long-term weather, that weather can
only be “predicted” accurately up to 48 hours.
Back in 1984 when I conducted a “rain dance” with the children at the City of Pasadena’s
Victory Park day camp, and it rained that August night, I chatted with Dr.
George about it.
Apparently, someone had already called him and told him
about the rain dance, so he knew about
it when I brought it up. Fischbeck told
me that he recognized and respected the sacred nature of the Southwestern
Indians’ rain dances and ceremonies, having lived among the New Mexico Indians
for two years as an anthropologist. Still, he believed that there was no
connection between our rain dance and the rain, discounting the ability of what
he called “prayer” to affect the weather.
He explained that he noted a storm off California’s coast at
7 p.m. on Tuesday, the day we did the rain dance. By 11 p.m. that evening,
Dr. Fischbeck said that he knew rain would fall, but not where. He was
calling it a “freak storm” since this was August with an average precipitation
of zero. Due to the winds that arose, the rain moved further west and north
than he expected, he told me.
I met him for the first time in the late 1980s when I was
the editor of Mensa’s local “Lament” magazine. I wanted him to write an
editorial about the then-drought that California was experiencing. He agreed,
and I visited him at the Channel 7 studios.
He greeted me like an old friend, and we discussed his column. When
published, it was a well-received editorial, still very relevant today.
In honor of Dr. George, here is a shortened version of what
he had to say:
SOLUTIONS from DR.
GEORGE FISCHBECK
Folks, do you know that this densely populated Southern
California urban sprawl is located on what geologists call a “coastal desert
plain”? That’s right – we live here in
a desert. And yet we use and waste
water as if there is no tomorrow. If we
don’t start realizing where we live, we’re bound to have some severe problems
in the near future. Why? Because everyone wants to live in Southern
California. And where does the water
come from? From Northern California and
from the Colorado River. Water experts
tell us that we might have a real crisis on our hands real soon if we don’t learn
to live with less water.
Let’s explore some of the ways in which everyone can pitch
in and help.
Did you know that nearly 50 percent of our residential water
use is literally flushed down the toilet?
Today there are toilet tanks that can flush with less water, and some
areas are now requiring these in new construction.
An innovative group in Highland Park named WTI Inc. has been
practicing a unique form of water conservation for nearly 17 years. The household members save their bath and
shower water in one-gallon containers, which they neatly store in the
bathroom. Then, using specially-cut
plastic pour containers, they use their bath and shower water to flush the
toilet. This is a simple method of
water conservation that even apartment dwellers can practice.
Did you know that some plants in your yard require much more
water than others? Talk to the people
at your local nursery, and find out which plants are drought tolerant.
If you have a yard, you should seriously consider grey-water
recycling. Grey-water refers to the
water that goes down our kitchen and bathroom sinks, and down the tub. With some simple drain-line alterations, and
with the possible change of detergent, you can direct this once-used water into
your yard to water your trees, bushes, and even garden.
And did you know that the original navel orange tree in
Southern California was planted outside a home and watered with dishwater? You can still see that tree today in
Riverside!
The number of ways in which we can save and conserve water
are endless. Some ways that most of us
don’t usually think of are, for example, collecting rainwater from your roofs
in plastic trash buckets – just like “grandma back on the farm” used to do,
right? Your editor told me that he has
collected up to 400 gallons of rainwater in a single storm, although usually he
collects about 40 gallons of rain a storm.
That’s free water that doesn’t have to be imported to us.
Folks, remember that we can always lick a problem if we
stick together and work together. Don’t
wait for “the government,” since the solution is really within our own grasp. I am hopeful for our future. And thank you for letting me share my ideas
with you!
Dr. George Fischbeck
Meteorologist, KABC
TV
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