This thesis is an exploration of the significance of care for thinking and living in a more-than-human world. It investigates what values underlie people’s choice to collect water from a source other than a domestic tap – particularly from the natural springs around Cape Town, South Africa. Underlying this research is the hypothesis that a water ethic – an ethic of care – is informed and enhanced when the source of water is known, and that the enactment of water collection results in a relationship with water that translates into a more care-full approach to water use.
Researcher
Jess Tyrrell is an environmental psychologist who works with young people in outdoor experiential education and believes firmly in the power of time outdoors as a way of finding one’s place in our more-than-human world. She is a qualified mountain, river and trail guide and teaches workshops on indigenous medicinal plants and bushcraft.