This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Water, Water, Everywhere
Oct
14
2014
Similarly to how the arguments against incandescent bulbs do not apply to me, arguments for water conservation also do not apply to me.
I let the water run while I shave. I run the water while I’m brushing my teeth. And I run the water while I’m loading the dishwasher.
Why don’t I care? Because my house has well and septic.
Not only is water essentially free, but it also follows the law of the conservation of mass: water can neither be created nor destroyed.
How do I “use up” water by letting it run? Answer: I don’t. All I do is move it around.
Here’s a well-and-septic system:
Water gets pumped out of the ground, up to my sink. Then it flows down the drain and back into the ground. What is the problem with that? It’s a zero-sum game – the water travelled a little bit, but its amount and location didn’t change.
“Turn off the water while you brush your teeth, and it could save you 5 gallons of water a day.”
“Benefits include a reduced water bill and conservation of fresh water.”
I pay to run the pump. I don’t care about that cost, and I just showed that no water is wasted (i.e. removed from possible future use) by letting water run. I have yet to be convinced there is a good reason why I can’t let the water run as much as I want.
I could see how someone could argue against lawn watering because then much of the water evaporates and doesn’t go back into the ground. While the argument shouldn’t be that water is wasted (since it just changed phase rather than disappearing), I will agree that the water does change its net location. Why it’s bad to provide rain for someone else is another discussion. I won’t put up much of a fuss either way on that argument, because I don’t water my lawn. Why help your lawn grow when that just means you’ll have to cut it more?
and he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth.
Genesis 8:7
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 6:02 am and has been carefully placed in the Life category.
October 14th, 2014 at 8:04 am
We don’t have a well or a septic tank, so those arguments apply to me. But I don’t like arguing, so I refuse to take part.
October 14th, 2014 at 9:12 am
Plus there’s no water in your ground.
October 14th, 2014 at 10:07 am
What about the argument that you’re building a bad habit? For example, let’s say you go and visit Ricky. You hang out, eat some queso, and then you say, “Hey Ricky, I’m going to go brush my teeth.” And Ricky, being a good host, is like, “Sure, go for it.” You brush your teeth and you’re running Ricky and all his neighbors out of water. Ricky tries to yell at you through the door, but you can’t hear because the water is running. Ricky finally decides that he must break down the door in order to save the water. He busts the door open with his shoulder, and the door knocks into you, causing you to dribble toothpaste onto your favorite shirt. You glance down, and then glance up at Ricky who is holding his bruised shoulder. You ask him if you can use his washing machine to clean your shirt. He glances up, and says, “Yeah, but there’s no water left.”
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO THEN? HUH? HUH?
October 14th, 2014 at 12:09 pm
Great, now Ricky is never going to agree to have me over for queso…
October 14th, 2014 at 2:57 pm
The best queso isn’t at my house, so I won’t care a bit. It’s at the restaurant I met your dad and Burrill at. I’ll take you there when you come. You too, Bryan.
October 14th, 2014 at 9:29 pm
But will the restaurant let me run the water while I brush my teeth there?
October 22nd, 2014 at 10:37 am
By letting the water run, aren’t you burning through your water softener faster?
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Yes, but it’s a small price to pay for freedom.