I find myself growing more aware of wasted water. I am talking about legitimate usage that goes overboard. What brought it to mind was running water into a pan so it could soak and soften the residue, a legitimate use. What often happens is I try to multitask, get distracted and it runs over. That water is wasted. It isn’t a big deal but if everyone does it a few times a day it starts to add up. It occasionaly hits me that every drop of that water had to be moved hundreds of miles and be treated to a certain standard before it came out of my tap.
And I am letting it run down the drain.
That turned my thoughts to infrastructure. Do you ever think about all that it takes to deliver a glass of water? Or how much has been invested to bring you the electricity that lets you play our stereo? Who makes the waste go away when you flush the toilet? I marvel at the complexity involved and how long it took to build all that up. It works day after day without any effort on our part. One reason the third world’s standard of living is so low is a lack of infrastructure provided by previous generations.
We owe a lot to those who built our infrastructure. I am not sure we are grateful enough. One way in which we should be expressing our appreciation is by continuing to build and repair. We are not doing it. Because of that the quality of American life is declining, at least in California. We have a shortage of water and power and a surplus of potholes because for years we have been living on the investments of our ancestors. We are using up the principle.
It is coming time to pay the piper.
To be continued...
homo unius libri
When I was kid, our well silted in. As a result, we went back to using the outhouse and carrying water. You DO learn to appreciate things when they're scarce.
ReplyDeleteIf you had lived in government housing you would have called the superintendent. And of course the well would still be silted up.
DeleteGrace and peace.