One of the saddest things I have seen this month was a man, happily throwing buckets of water on his massive selection of beautiful and shiny flowers, bushes and perfectly grown saplings.
Apparently mister ‘happily watering my plants’ needs a little refresher on the current situation we are dealing with in this city.
Because right now, flagrant overuses of water like this is not a very usual scene.
I wish seeing people being proud of their green gardens didn’t fill me with anger and frustration.
Why do people still not understand the consequences of every drop of water they waste?
The fact is California has been suffering from a scarily fast spreading drought over the last 3 years. The rain decided to pack its things, making every one of its rare visits an exceptional event.
The vast water shortage causes serious consequences.
It affects everyone as food prices rise due to the lack of water to irrigate crops. And as there are no studies proving that there will be more rain soon, things might even get worse.
To prevent this, we have all been advised to cutback. Laws were announced declaring using more water than allowed literally means paying for your mistakes. This August, a new statewide law about outdoor water regulations was defined, that could lead to fees up to $500 for misuse of water. Many people understand that this is absolutely necessary and are working hard to improve the situation.
There are now bathroom tools available, for example one that collects water dripping from the tap. They can be bought at many stores like Target or Wal-Mart. Every possible way of saving water should be used. For many people, this is a daily topic to discuss, with the matter consuming the news.
Though these things sounds like great methods, some affluent locals question them. The thought, ‘why go out of your way when you have enough money to pay for the extra water you use’, seems to occur too often.
Ignoring water limitation and having a healthy garden is actually starting to become a sign of wealth. Right now, in a city full of brown lawns, it stands out more than ever.
They don’t understand that there’s an actual responsibility behind saving water. Water itself, the most essential part of life, is becoming extremely expensive.
While affluent citizens use it for things as unnecessary as watering plants, it becomes unaffordable for much of the community. The effects of all of this are immense and incredibly far-reaching, and needs to be taken seriously.
We should all do our part and try to save as much water as possible, even if we don’t necessarily have to.
People may think that they, as an individual, can’t make much of a difference. But the truth is, everyone can change something, and a bunch of changes add up.
So take that first step today. Turn your sprinkler off, reduce your time singing in the shower, and be aware of your responsibility.
When it comes to water, every drop counts.
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