The old familiar song, "The Green, Green Grass of Home," used to bring a smile, but the current drought in Florida is turning so many green lawns into burned, brown fields ready for a fire to explode from a lightning strike or careless cigarette.

The situation is serious, but there are ways to solve the problem. According to Marshall McLuhan, a famous Canadian educator, "Our age of anxiety is, in great part, the result of trying to do today's job with yesterday's tools—with yesterday's concepts."

Santa Barbara in California was faced with the same danger some years ago and the city officials called a meeting of the city engineers and water department to find new tools—new concepts to save lawns.

The solution was gray water. The term gray water is given to the water we use when we wash our hands at the sink, take showers, wash clothes, etc. That water is going into the sewer or septic tanks at an alarming rate.

This water can save lawns and trees without any harm. Santa Barbara developed an attachment that could be installed on the plumbing of city homes for as little as $50 that would permit this valuable water to save lawns and landscaping from drying up without risk to the citizens. The city water department in Santa Barbara arranged to install the units and bill homeowners the small cost added to their low monthly payments until it was paid out.

The only gray water that is a threat is the water used in the washing machine and even that is safe to use on the lawn if you're careful about what kind of soap you use.