“What difference will it make if a few people turn off the water when brushing their teeth?” you say. “How could that save the planet and affect the availability of drinking water throughout the world?” Well, if everyone had that attitude, then nothing would change; remember, however, what becomes a habit for one person or one family, can become a habit change for others. All it takes, is talking and passing the word, the idea, the suggestion, and over time new ideas become a lifestyle-change and a passion to change the world, one household at a time! If one were to think back years ago, when the word, “recycling” was first used and implemented by many, so many people thought that “hassle” would be the word to explain, that additional thing to do. Nowadays, it is just what people do, without a thought, the same way they automatically put on seat belts, in a world when cars did not even have them installed, at one time. Do not diminish the teaching that things become automatic, when we retrain ourselves and become a habit, “like brushing your teeth”.
When individuals make a conscience effort to conserve water, it can only help in making more drinking water available to others in the world! It has been heard that some people compare that to the old adage from the sixties of the “clean plate club”; if food was to wasted, the amount could have made a difference to feed children in Africa. People never threw out food so they ate it to alleviate guilt; after all, they did not want children to starve! Somehow, the logic got turned into an encyclical problem of children getting obese, with the problem of children still starving, not yet solved. Those are the people that seem to make the connection to the paralleled scenario, but it is like comparing apples to oranges.
Anyone who is cognizant of conversational issues does not over-analyze the logic that this writer is projecting. It seems to be reasonable to believe that if one does not drive much and chooses to ride a bike to save money on gas, then that person is saving a few gallons of gas and the cash that he or she is not spending. If a person using a measuring spoon to make coffee, or measures laundry detergent when washing clothes, there is no waste. More pots of coffee can be made with the same can, if there is no excess waster, and it stands to reason that more loads of clothes can be laundered. How is an individual conserving water different? There is no difference, for if stands to reason, with a common-sense attitude, that one person might save 10 gallons, therefore an entire family might conserve 100 gallons. If one hundred families do the same, then, 1000 gallons are saved, whether by flushing the home toilets less, or taking showers versus baths. Just think how much could be saved, if an entire neighborhood saves water? Think of it as compounded interest, and watch the numbers (and benefits) multiply!
In addition to turning to more water-efficient crops and treating and reusing wastewater, countries in continents across oceans from us, in the United States, must conserve and take responsibility for their own usage. “India’s flood plains should be preserved and not used for development. “Flood plains are valuable ecosystems, for farming, and for groundwater recharge. Building in them, something we do egregiously in the United States, leads to more people and property at risk, encourages inappropriate development and comes back to haunt us,” according to Peter H. Gleick, President of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security. In the October 1, 2006 issue of the New York Times Newspaper, this Oakland, California company president stated his opinion in an ongoing debate, as to how to solve the problem. Should water management be controlled or should a country have a protocol or law about this? Should people be charged to water usage, or water waste?
The National Rural Water Association supposedly is considered “America’s largest utility membership serving over 26,696 water and wastewater utilities.” Their link is http://www.nrwa.org/Archives.htm, where they avail the public to various resources, including activities for school-age children. United Water states that “Our primary focus is to support nonprofit organizations dedicated to the environment, education, and humanitarian services”(http://www.unitedwater.com/philanthropy.aspx). While it is true that no matter how much water we conserve, is not the total answer to the drinking water dilemma in the world, for it does have to be processed, throughout the industry, but it is an end to a means. Without the water to purify, then no purification system would be needed.
It stands to reason that conservation, whether it be water, gas, food or money, allows the part of the world that used to take theses resources for granted, to teach their children how to appreciate what they have daily. Water conservation enables children to be cognizant of choices that they have and the repercussions of bad choices, if taught at school, and modeled at home, through such activities as turning off water while brushing one’s teeth. Individuals water usage and conservation not only can make a difference, but it will continue to make that difference across the street or across the world. Compassion teaches a sense of giving back to society and to humanity, with a sense of values. After all, globalization will affect all, in future generations, as the world shares their resources as an encyclical exchange between countries. Looking at things from another perspective, in regards to our conscience, we must conserve and do the right thing, for the sake of humanity, even if we received nothing in return. How can one argue with that?
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