Since starting this class I have become more aware of how much I waste resources like
water. An article I read earlier in this term said “Many people view water as a renewable
resource and take its availability for granted,” and that really connected with me. I noticed that I
am guilty of having that viewpoint and wasting resources without thought.
Over the past 2 days, I have used an estimated total of 10 bottles of water (for drinking;)
throwing away 3 plastic bottles and 1 fast food cup, but using a reusable tumbler for the rest. I
have used about 5 cups of water for cooking, including while at work cooking for my residents. I
washed dishes using the dishwasher 2 times, ran 2 loads of laundry, flushed the toilet about 12
times, washed my hands about 12 times, wasted some water while waiting for it to get hot at
work for a total of about 5 minutes, and wasted quite a bit while waiting for shower water to get
hot as well. I have noticed that I do not waste very much food; in the 2 days I only wasted bread
for a sandwich and leftover fries. However, I have had lots of trash from eating- 3 fast food
containers, 4 plastic cheese wrappers, grease from burgers, 2 ziplock bags, 2 cans, plastic from a
premade salad, ranch bottle, slim jim wrappers, and egg shells. I drove about 24 miles total in
those 2 days, but also sat in my car while it was running while I ate fast food for about 15
minutes. And lastly, I used and wasted quite a bit of electricity- I had the TV on all night (est. 8
hr.,) 2 lights and the TV on at home for about 4 hours total, 8 rooms with lights on while I am at
work for the entire 8 hour shift (x2 days,) the occasional bathroom light, using the washer and
dryer, and then I have a fan plus a fish tank with a filter and light light that are on 24/7.
I am surprised at how little food waste that I contributed, but sometimes do not think
about all the waste that comes with eating, like the plastic cheese wrappers or slim jim wrappers.
I have noticed myself trying to decrease the amount of water I waste. I am not too bad at wasting
gas, but could definitely try to limit my electricity use by turning lights off if they are not
absolutely needed.
I can work at getting better by recycling more, not wasting water trying not to run too
many loads of laundry or of the dishwasher, not letting my car run while I am just sitting, and
turning off things that use electricity when I don’t need them. Over time, I hope to make these
the normal for me so I don't even have to think about doing it, I just do it. Making these
conscious choices limits the environmental impact. By using my tumbler at work for water, I am
saving the waste of a plastic bottle, but am in turn using more water to wash the tumbler every
day. Saving on not using so much gas and electricity can help me save money, but in turn will
likely encourage more spending on things that create more waste.
References
Caldwell, Z. (2023). Global water scarcity. In CQ Researcher. CQ Press
https://doi.org/10.4135/cqresrre20230428
