A Little Summertime Fun!

Ok, so here was the latest 'discussion'. The topic was... water conservation and summer fun.

We all know that there is going to be a water shortage. If you don't then you've been hiding in that turtle shell of yours for too long. Come on out and take a swim. The World Water Council sums it up this way...

While the world's population tripled in the 20th century, the use of renewable water resources has grown six-fold. Within the next fifty years, the world population will increase by another 40 to 50 %. This population growth - coupled with industrialization and urbanization - will result in an increasing demand for water and will have serious consequences on the environment.

So, the discussion with my partner this fine spring evening was about my 3 year old son's b-day present. He was given a seemingly friendly sprinkler system which includes an elephant, a giraffe and an alligator pool that all attach together. Once the water hose is attached the water sprinkles out of various orifices on the animals and provides lots of fun for the little ones around here. Hey, I even paddled my feet in the alligator.

Well the minute I picked the gift up from the post office and opened it in the car I thought, "Brian isn't going to like this." So I knew enough to be conscious of the fact that it was not a very water friendly gift. These cheerful animals in fact threatened the worlds water supply and how could I explain that to my kids. My kids were at risk of never being able to enjoy running through sprinklers naked in the backyard as I did as a kid.

Brian would like to send the gift straight to the dump (increasing the land fill), sell it (and let someone else waste water) or put it up in the shop for storage until someone else makes the decision as to what to do with it. What if the store didn't sell it in the first place? Or rather, the manufacturer didn't make it in the first place. Then there would be no argument.

And this brings me to my point; yes I do have one! Are there not bigger problems here than a small sprinkler that is put on once in a while on a hot summers day so my kids can have some fun and fond memories? If we have serious concerns about water, then why are these toys even allowed to be sold. We are not a family who goes around wasting water. We've put in the latest drip irrigation in our sustainable vegetable garden. We turn off the tap while brushing our teeth, we use the shorter cycles on the washing machine and dishwasher. We let our lawn turn brown instead of watering it. We use way less water than I did growing up and so it should be but what about the big guys.

What about things like food production. They say that changes in food habits, may help reduce the problem of water shortages. 1kg of potatoes requires only 100 litres of water, whereas 1kg of beef requires 13,000 litres of water. So I say, cut out the beef and let my children run naked through the sprinkler!