Tuesday, July 5, 2011

wasting water

"We've started to run short of water, for instance, because there are 6 billion of us who want to drink it and wash in it and use it for irrigating crops in places where they wouldn't otherwise grow (and where we need them to grow, precisely because there are 6 billion of us)." -Bill McKibben, Deep Economy, pg. 22

So this morning, I took a bucket shower. I know myself, I take long showers, and I waste SO MUCH water, here, at home, in hotels, the world is my water wasting oyster. I filled a small bucket, used about 3/4 of it to wash everything, and used the rest to wash my feet (they get so dirty here!).

Pouring a cup of water over my head created a surprisingly adequate amount of water pressure, making me question the extent to which people spend so much money on expensive plumbing, and here's my simple advice, grab a cup and pour, finished. If you're doing dishes, do them with a friend, you pour while they wash!

Now if I can just figure out how to deal with cold water...