Abstract

This paper explores how several water technologies mediate people's relationship with nature in the domestic sphere. While septic systems are critical to the built environment in exurban North America, they remain largely unacknowledged. Their hidden participation in the backyards of private homes silently facilitates—yet outwardly denies—people's continued engagement in the water cycle. Now, a growing array of alternative practices (e.g. composting toilets and greywater systems) are being embraced by individuals choosing to intervene in their local ecology in an active manner. This study shows how the domestic realm can be a site of imaginative engagement and shifting consciousness, and moreover, serve as a catalyst in society's transition toward a meaningful sustainability.