Years ago, in the break room at an old job, I was having a conversation with a somewhat crazy co-worker.  The break room is, after all, the only place I would have likely spent the time to talk with this particular co-worker.  As she took her turn at the microwave and I stood with one hand on the door ready to bolt back to my office, she turned on the water faucet.  The story she told me drifted into the back of my mind as I couldn’t help but focus all my attention to the water running furiously from the tap.  My co-worker turned away from the sink, continuing on with her story, letting the water continue to run and run…and run.  I stood in disbelief, wondering how long I could stand across the room before I marched over myself and turned the tap off.  After several minutes (literally) she noticed my stares at the faucet and reached over to turn it off.

I couldn’t help but imagine that this water-running act was one that this woman likely practiced all the time.  I pictured her preparing for a shower, running the water for several minutes before she hopped in.  Or, getting sidetracked each time she did the dishes and leaving the room for several minutes while the faucet continued to run.  And, at the same time, I wondered why I felt it impolite to just go over there and turn the faucet off myself, to make a point that she needed to be more conscious.

I’ve felt this way many times over the past few years as I’ve watched in horrid surprise as people stand for five minutes at a time with the refrigerator door open, or throw out bottles of old barbecue sauce because they don’t want to rinse them out in preparation for the recycling.  I’ve kept my mouth shut (usually) just because it’s not my right to tell people how to live their lives, especially when I still have a lot of learning to do on my own.  But I’ve also learned that environmentalism doesn’t have to be packaged as this “all or none” act that it often is.  Environmentalists seem to be marketed as if they can only be hemp-toting, Birkenstock-wearing hippies, and I think that gives the green movement a bad rap.  We shouldn’t try to get the country to feel like it has to change its entire lifestyle to fit more in line with environmental practices.  I’m not saying that it wouldn’t be nice if this could happen, but I just don’t think it’s practical.  And, the more we expect the average Joe to give up McDonalds for life, or even to reuse his containers from time to time, the more I really believe Joe begins to grow tired of the green movement and neglects its philosophies altogether.  But, isn’t there a way we can encourage small changes in order to make larger impacts?

I firmly believe that we should all try our hardest to incorporate more environmentally-friendly practices into each day of our individual lives, but I also think that the measure of what these practices entails has to be achievable in the context of our own lives.  And that can really only come with better understanding and education.  The more people begin to understand and accept those “easy” changes, the more they will be willing to take on those that are more complex.

So, let’s talk water.

If you still buy bottled water, keep in mind that you are not only contributing to a very unfriendly environmental practice, but you are also getting scammed.  Many of us believe that our drinking (and bathing, and cooking) water is becoming increasingly suspect and contaminated.  If this thought has led you to buy bottled water, consider the fact that the Environmental Working Group estimates that 25 percent of bottled water is tap water (Sorensen, 2010).  What’s worse is that bottled water is subject to fewer regulations than tap water, and the sheer manufacturing of the billions of water either thrown out or recycled is an environmental catastrophe on its own (and creates additional pollution that contaminates drinking water).  So, in other words, those who drink bottled water are really making our drinking water less safe.  And, while they are at it, they are depleting many third-world countries of their lakes, wells, and streams as these are often the areas where companies like Dasani (aka Coke) access water supplies.

So, what should you do if you’re worried about your tap water, but also don’t want to buy bottled water?  Simple: get a filter.  The EWG provides a water filter buying guide here.  (Additionally, you can check out the EPA’s Safewater site to see how your community’s drinking water measures up in Consumer Confidence Reports.)

Again, I don’t mean to point fingers at others, but do let me point one at myself.  My bath tub floor remains a constant murky gray color.  No matter how many times I’ve scrubbed with Seventh Generation all-purpose cleaner, it just won’t turn back to its pearly white “clean-looking” color.  So, in preparation for guests a few weeks back, I broke down and bought a Clorox-brand cleaner.  And now I feel guilty about it (especially since the tub floor is still just as gray as before).  Flushing toxic cleaning agents down my drain is contributing to the contamination of our water supply, and pumping it back into my faucet and, ultimately, my drinking water.  Getting rid of these toxic cleaning agents and finding natural replacements is a must.  Anyone have any good suggestions?

Reference:
Sorenesen, J. (2010, May). Is your water safe? Gulp! body + soul, 46, pp. 42-46.

Also, check out Flow, a documentary that investigates the world’s water crisis.