Cape Town, South Africa, one of Africa's most affluent cities, may be the first city in the world to run out of municipal water. Population growth, overdevelopment, and climate change, coupled with rising inequality and political dysfunction, have converged to create an imbalance between water use and supply.
Cape Town's countdown to "Day Zero," while dire, is not unique. Faced with increased periods of drought, many urban centers around the world are confronting diminished water supplies and struggling to balance the demand for drinking water and our agriculture needs. Cleveland, situated on one of the Great Lakes, home to a seemingly endless supply of fresh water, is not immune to this trend. Last July and August, less than one-quarter of an inch of rain fell at Spice Acres farm, located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, causing the staff to contemplate their own "Day Zero."
Join us for a tour of Spice Acres, a three-course vegetarian Plated Landscape dinner, and a panel discussion on the efforts to manage Northeast Ohio's own water crisis.