Waste Not-Water Not

Water conservation may be the easiest thing that people can change to do their part in helping the environment. Thinking about ways to cut down on water consumption isn’t all that challenging. So why is this such a difficult task for most denizens of the world? I’ll tell you why; showers and sinks are the worst things to happen to the human race since the black plague. An exaggeration, maybe, but I can say with a great deal of certainty that many people, myself included, desperately need to reform their bathroom habits. For example, I got out of the shower prior to starting this post. I began at 9:07, and now its 9:19. That’s a 12 minute long shower. I could have easily finished a thorough body cleaning in five or six minutes at the most. I’ll try to rationalize and say “Oh, I had a long day, and the shower is a good way to relax”. But then I need to tell myself to suck it up and stop complaining. Gallons of excess water were undoubtedly wasted during that six minute span. But the horror story isn’t over; I still haven’t shaved yet. I get my razor and go into the bathroom, turn the water on, and start shaving. It sounds innocent enough, I know. But for the five or so minutes I was shaving, I left the sink running for THE ENTIRE TIME. I wasted five minutes worth of water. I’ll let that sink (no pun intended) in.

After some hard, self examination, I’ve concluded that I will undertake reducing my water consumption as my sustainability challenge. I’ve chosen this because far too often have I swallowed my rage when witnessing someone taking a three hour long shower, or leaving the sink running while they go back to their room for something. But I now know that I have much room to improve my own water consumption habits as well. Changing my behaviors should not be that difficult; I know that I use so much excess water on a daily basis, that cutting out a good portion of it should be relatively easy. I guarantee that I can save a lot just by fixing my showering and shaving habits, and by simply being aware that the the issue of waster consumption even exists.