It's not all about ME

I’m a water waster, I will admit it.  After I come back for a run there is nothing I want to do more than to jump in the shower with all my clothes on.  I do have slightly more self control than that, but still I spend a lot of time post work out in the shower.  I start the water cold to cool off, and then slowly turn it up till the hot water is soothing my sore muscles; the whole time not doing anything but standing in the stream of the water.  In reality I could probably be in and out of the shower in four minutes, but I stand around relaxing instead, knowing I have enough time to do so before my next class.  Does it occur to me that people may be parched in some foreign country, or that some take baths in rivers? No the only thing I am thinking about is myself; and that way of thinking cannot go on any longer.

In the eighteen hundreds people used to take baths all in the same tub with the same water.  The people bathing would take turns starting with the males and go in decreasing age order, then switching gender and repeating the process.  This was a very simple way in which they were able to conserve water.  Nowadays we know that this was not very sanitary, so I am not suggesting we do this now but there are other ways to help conserve water.  For example, whenever my family is headed out of the house my sister and I always brush our teeth first.  Instead of us both separately turning on the water we could both stick our toothbrushes under the faucet simultaneously.   This may only be a small amount of water but over time those little bits of water will amount to something larger.  Also as mentioned earlier in the blog the toilets here at Elon have a two way flush as a way of conserving water.  And they are so powerful that I rarely find the need to ever push it down.  I can assure you even saving the tiniest amount will make a difference.  I know you frequently hear people saying turn off the water when you brush your teeth and wash your face, but have you ever really done it? And would it hurt you to turn it off? Probably not.  Changing the planet and conserving its resources are things we need to work on as a whole globe, and its time to stop only thinking about our wants and needs. WE NEED TO BE IN THIS TOGETHER, because if the planet goes down so do all of us.  So in order to change I have to remember it’s not all about me.

TC