I used to but now I do not anymore.
Yeah I'll not be guilted into the notion at saving SECONDS of residential water use has any impact on climate. Water savings by industrial process and unmanaged municipal leaks are much higher on the list. The seconds of reduced residential use are less than a "drop in the bucket"
Caveats being I don't live in a drought striken area, I don't take overly long showers to begin with, and my utility bills are a non issue financially.
Some water systems have an insane amount of leaks. One house I lived in, the water and sewer plants were owned by the HOA. They estimated that they lost 75% of the water to leaks.
By that logic nobody has to do anything, because you can always find someone who has a higher impact that should start first.
- Why stop driving my petrol car, trucks or container ships have a much higher impact
- Why stop flying around the globe for no particular reason, Taylor Swift should stop
- Why should I start energy saving, cryptominers should stop
Don't get me wrong, you leaving the shower on for 10s longer than necessary will not be the end of the world. It's just this mentality of: I am pro climate change (policies) as long as I don't have to change anything about my own life, that you can hear way to often.
Hey you show me the meaningful impact, and I'm all for it. For example the reduction of single use plastics in communities near coasts and waterways. It measurably reduces coastal waste. Great, let's do it and the consumer can help.
Anything that has no measurable impact is just performative green guilting.
I just won't be pressured into carrying the guilt of industry I don't even profit from while I'm soaping my balls.
That is not the point I was trying to make. As I said, it is not the end of the world just because someone leaves the shower on for a few seconds longer than necessary and there are obviously way more important topics we need to address.
To be honest when I saw the question I haven't thought about climate at all. I turn it off for as long as I can remember and was curious how others are doing it. But everytime something comes up that has to do with saving energy/ressources there are people saying: I don't change because my personal impact doesn't matter. To exaggerate my point one person changing one tiny thing of course doesn't make a difference, but if 8 billion people change 10 tiny things it can have an impact. At some point we have to start making a change.
However, I totally get your point about the industry polluting our planet even though they knew better decades ago. And now everyone has to suffer from their mistakes or rather greed.
It's more that yes, of every person on earth turned the water off while soaping, religiously, it STILL wouldn't even be a drop in the bucket.
I acknowledge that community improvement requires everyone to chip in in ways that aren't immediately tangible.
Unfortunately the magnitude of industrial use and loss is so vast that residental budgeting on this topic doesn't move the needle.
That doesn't mean residential changes aren't ever possible.
For example improved insulation and heating and cooling tech can meaningfully reduce grid spike demand.
Flattening demand into a more consistent, distributed curve means we can transition to green energy sources with greater confidence, and decommission coal and gas power more successfully.
So that's a topic I'm all for making changes on, and I have. (Updated south facing windows, with facing window awnings, plus updated attic insulation and a mini split heat pump)
My home is more comfortable, more resilient and more aligned with future community goals.
So it isn't that I'm not willing to try (and spend) to do my part. It's that I'm very critical of green guilting to shift blame.
I couldn't agree more.
And I can only reiterate, with my initial comment I was not attacking you personally or trying to guilt you into doing something. I also don't like when people do that. In fact, it wasn't even that much about saving water in the shower. It is just this blocking attitude of: I don't do it, others should start first without even thinking about it, that you can often read in these threads which bugged me at first.
By your comments you showed that you actually thought about it and came to the conclusion that the impact is little and there are more important topics you want to address, which is a totally fair point.
It's no worries man. We had an on topic discussion , just seemingly from two sides of the table, but I think we're pretty aligned. (As these things usually go).
I think Lemmy is too cautious or something. You talked about your position without attacking me, and you sure shouldn't have to apologize for that. If anyone here can't handle that, they should turn their AOL internet CD in and be done with it.
Residential water use has practically no effect on climate change though when its used at manageable levels. Those levels are not made unmanageable by too many people taking 10 extra seconds to shower.
We need to save the planet, that's why you need to put a giant plug up your ass! Why? Well you see, Methane is a serious greenhouse gas, and despite your farts being miniscule compared to the massive releases from factory farms and other industries, eVErY liTtlE biT HeLps!!
You should really just not question it and live your life with this painful inconvenience because we all need to start somewhere. If everyone across the nation were to just start wearing a big butt plug at all times, we could reduce methane emissions by a whole 0.1%! And no, before you ask, the factory farms and other industries won't be doing a damn thing to reduce their emissions. So lube up that bussy honey, you gotta get into that green mentality, it's for the planet!
Can't stop, sorry. The shower is my final refuge and if I start being conscientious about water usage there, I will end up breaking down in a denny's bathroom at 2am or something.
Using California as an example, agriculture consumes 4x the water of everything else combined - business + industry + parks + homes.
Austerity at homes is generally more of a show than anything else. You can read about the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, but it looks like the legislation isn't mandated to be implemented until the 2040s.
Came here hoping to see this comment.
Now let's talk about paper straws in plastic wrapping...
If i turn the water off it takes a good 30 seconds to be hot again, so it just stays on.
Yes. I don't take wildly long showers, so the conservation isn't really worth the convenience of being able to step in/out of warm water at will.
One of the few benefits to a well/septic.
I have to pay zero attention to water conservation. Hell, when it rains a lot I have to let some faucets run. Just pumping water from one side of the house to the other. Otherwise the side with the well can get moisture in the basement
Wells aren't infinite...
If you're not using enough it overfills.
But the septic tank has drainage and can distribute the water.
Like. I don't really get what you're trying to say
Even in the rare densely populated areas where wells were common, there's not many left.
Most people in my area just hook up to city services instead of sink more money into their systems for substantial repair. I don't think there's many others left at this point, except maybe the 100+ year old houses whose plumbing wouldn't survive modern pressure.
In rural areas where that's not an option, your issue doesn't exist.
Not like if it's a big deal, but if we're gonna be pedantic, then we can't go halfway.
Yeah. My shower has two knobs, so it takes ages to find the right balance for the temperature. It would be annoying to turn both knobs off and then turn them back on and find the right temp again
I live under the sea level. We as a nation control the water. It is our bitch. I can do with water whatever the fuck I please. We won that war a long time ago. Water listens to ME.
Not only do I leave it running, I belittle it in the process.
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Yes I let it run. Because honestly, I don't care. People will try make you feel guilty over using water while continuing to make excuses to drive everywhere and why they really need an electric car to "save the planet". Oh and please recycle while the city that collects the recycling sends it to the dump because this industry is not profitable. And use less water because giant tech companies are going to need it in order to cool and power some more AI servers.
I never owned a car and have driven only once in 40 years. But I know that whatever I do individually to reduce the amount of pollution in the air, it is absolutely useless and pointless. The army or the police will annihilate a lifetime of individual efforts in one day, or even a few hours. I could get a car right now and 90% of people would probably tell me I did the right thing, as a car is sooo useful. No problem as long as it's electric!
So uuh, I let the water run when I feel like it.
I mean yeah, but also if everyone thought like you we'd definitely not make a difference, so there's two sides. It's the classic "one vote won't matter" argument.
But I hear you. I do the same. I shower for 10 minutes every 2-3 days (I don't get sweaty easily or smell, and live in a semi-dry climate), and when I shower I don't use a very high temperature either. So yeah. The water hits me as I soap up, too, so it's not like it's falling directly from head to drain either.
Imma treat ma self.
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I do try to be aware of my water supply. If I'm in a place where water is limited by default, like having a well, or when in a Caribbean country, I'll be careful as I know others will depend on that source in the very near future. But I live in Canada and from my immediate point of view, the St-Lawrence and the Great Lakes are not going to be dry soon. The only scarcity here is the energy required to pump the water (also provided by water), and its treatment.
And I do understand that our little collective efforts do add up. However, the issues are systemic. Only in a single region of my province (a region!), around 18 corporations and businesses are using more than 75 000 litres a day. We know just because they have to report it past that point. It adds up to billions of litres in a year. For a single region. The provincial government here also allows corporations to just pump the ground water for about $35 CAD by million of litres.
So again, I know that I could make a difference, if we all really tried. But because of the system, and since the pandemic, I've lost faith in our societies. I don't think most people care. While all hiding in our places a few years ago, while the production slowed down, people have seen the changes in nature, the air clean up... and they said fuck it we just want to go back to how it was before.
Just seeing multiple police cars running their engines 24/7 to stalk and bully some oh so dangerous anti-genocide students made me see that any effort to reduce air pollution on my part will be nullified by the system in general. It doesn't matter if I have car or not, if I recycle plastic while it's produced in the first place, or if I try to save a few litres of water while Nestlé... sigh.
Sorry but.. yeah.
No. Takes two seconds to open or close the tap. However, I do sometimes spend time daydreaming under running water so I guess it evens out!
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I also keep a razor in the shower, and shave in the hot water...... wild card!
But after seeing !wetshaving@sub.wetshaving.social posts for awhile, I got a double sided safety razor... and it's really improved the experience.
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The safety razor is cheap over the long run.
I have an adjustable safety razor, so I can dial in the sharpness i need; So far I'm still on my first blade after 2 months, I find I only need one pass to get a clean shave. When I'm done shaving, its really easy to get the hair off the blades (rinse it off) which I think helps alot with longevity of the blade. Plus everything is tidier since I dont have bags of disposables everywhere.
With disposable razors I found I had to go multiple times, and sometimes use two different razors - not to mention the trash build up. Where I live shaving isn't so common, so getting a consistent supply of disposable razors was a bit of a logistical issue. (i'd always be swapping out what I was using based on what I could find)
I did some research on YouTube before I bought it, and I thought this is too much work, cuz everybody has their detailed meditative process they do. Oh you pre-soak the skin, okay now you get the soap, now you lather up the soap, now you apply it multiple times, now you take the razor with a fresh blade, and go one direction. Now go the other direction. Now go perpendicular to both of those. Then after the shave clean all of the soap, now apply an aftershave lotion, take the blade out of the razor.... And I should have ignored all of that, because it's fine just to use it like a disposable razor in the shower. No fuss. The people who like the process can really enjoy the process, but I now realize it's totally unnecessary
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Things I have learned since switching:
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Razors rust because they lose their oil coating with use. If you want them to last longer, clean them and apply more oil/keep them dry - (if your lazy just dunk it in a cup of mineral oil when not in use)
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- If you can't be bothered, at least get ALL the hair and junk off the razor so there isn't a catchment for water on the blade itself.
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Running a razor backwards across your arm (don't cut yourself) is a nifty way to strop it and keep the edge clean
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Skin in the shower needs no soap/lotion/lather
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With adjustable razors close it down all the way for the "safest" cut, then go up slowly if you need a more aggressive angle (4 / 10 works fine for me)
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Just buy the handle/razor, don't go all out on the accessories.
For me, it's a closer shave and much, much cheaper than disposables or cartridges. Still on the same box of blades I bought probably 8 years ago.
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Yes, I admit I take excessively long showers with the water running the whole time. It makes me feel sane again, able to face the day. More importantly, I live where water is plentiful, so I’ll focus on reducing my carbon footprint in other ways
I turn the water off.
Growing up we used to live in a house with what I swear was the smallest boiler ever so the hot water would only last for maybe 1-2 showers before needing some time to get hot again. So leaving the water running meant no hot water midway through the shower, or forcing the next person to wait to take a shower.
It's a habit that stuck with me ever since, I've found that I don't really need the water running the whole time anyway.
No. It would take more time and water to run it to get the temperature in the pipes warm again than to just quickly soap and rinse.
Are we only allowed yes/no answers here? Sorry if clarifying details are annoying. I assumed if they only wanted stats this would have been a poll.
You mean there are people who don't spend 30 minutes in the shower contemplating their life choices?
I turn it off, mostly because my shower is small and i need to completely cover my body in soap before washing it off and if the water is running it'll wash away the soap when i don't want it to.
Also my shower knob stays at the correct temp so I don't need to mess around to get the same temp.
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I easily spend an hour in the shower.
Sometimes if I'm really exhausted or sleepy, I'll plug up the shower and imagine myself meditating in a waterfall.
