Water Hogging

This past week, I attempted to monitor by behavior and I realized that my change may be a bit harder than I thought. I was overwhelmed with a lot of work so whenever I got in the shower I was rushing whether I just wanted to go to sleep or because I didn’t want to miss my favorite T.V. show.  I managed to refrain from running the water for unnecessary reasons, but I still brush my teeth when I get out the shower. I think that I wait to brush my teeth because I’m not going straight to bed, or I want to have a snack.  When I shower in the evening, I’m usually  coming from the gym so I just want to clean up and throw on some lounge clothes. I also may go to dinner after I shower so I see no reason to brush my teeth while I’m in the shower.

It was very hard to find articles on my specific behavior but I found driving forces and household machinery that contribute gravely to water wasting. In An Agent Based Model of Household Water Use researchers found many people waste water because they are simply unaware and most major appliances in their household involve the usage. Most things to maintain a home need water (i.e. dishwasher, sink, shower/bathtub, water hose, etc.). People tend to shower longer than they have to, wash dishes or brush their teeth with the water constantly running, shower frequently during the week, and/or wash their clothes more than an average person. The article explained that many people hog water for simple “what if” questions. What if there is no more clean water one day? When this happens people splurge on buying water, and do other ridiculous things. In my case: Believing that some will steal my shower, so I leave the water running.

I hope that within these next few weeks, my transition to sustainable behavior is a smooth one!

 

 

 

 

Linkola L, Andrews C, Schuetze T. An Agent Based Model of Household Water Use. Water (20734441) [serial online]. September 2013;5(3):1082-1100. Available from: Environment Complete, Ipswich, MA