Water Conservation Made Easy

[BlueWater Outreach]

Almost any water conservation or water resource manager, or
manufacturer of water saving devices, or consultants in the field can
cite impressive, sometimes scary, statistics about limited water
resources and wasteful practices.

But the general public -- just the average water user -- can't. They
may be aware that water is a precious resource and that we all can do
a better job of protecting and conserving it, but the truth is that
most people have other things to worry about.

As long as clean water flows from the tap each day and the monthly
bill isn't too high, most people simply think that someone else has
the responsibility to bring us the water we use every day. After all,
didn't Atlanta avoid disaster? Aren't lawns still being watered in Los
Angeles County? Aren't golf courses in Phoenix still green?

It's common in many communities -- even those with water restrictions
-- face overuse, or use that's incompatible with sustaining water
resources.
It's not that Joe and Josephine Public are callous. Just ask them.
Through the past eight years I've seen many surveys that ask the wrong
questions: Is clean water important to you? Are you efficient with
your water use?

Who would answer 'no' to clean water? And almost everyone will say
they only use the water they need (but some of their neighbors are the
real water hogs).

We think it's time to change the equation and give the public both
emotional and rational reasons for changing their relationship with
water.

Better communications will help. Top-down, ham-handed edicts on what
people can and can't do with water don't work. At least not for long.

Water related messages should lead and guide people to better
behaviors. We live in a collaborative society. (Blogs are proof of
that.) We should use that collaborative spirit to create new social
norms; create new avenues of understanding. That's not easy. Or quick.
But if we listen -- really listen -- to Joe and Josephine Public,
we'll find the right answers.

Your thoughts are welcome.

Look for next post on Adjusting Attitudes.




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