Earlier while I was shaving in the gym (clothed only in a towel wrapped around my waist), a total stranger suddenly came up right behind me and exclaimed, “I bet you never lived in California!”
Taken somewhat aback, I replied, “As a matter of fact, I lived in California for 26 years.” (Actually, that’s a conservative estimate, but whatever.)
He then replied in a very annoyed and annoying manner, “Well, I can’t believe you run water while shaving!” and continued towards the door, barely giving me time to call out lamely, “I didn’t know it was your business!”
Let me confess right here that at the time of the gratuitous scolding by this total stranger (who thinks it is his business to monitor the water usage of other strangers) that yes, the water was running. Not that I waste water deliberately. I don’t like waste, and I’m one of those people who takes one minute showers and lets urine mellow a few times before finally flushing. I don’t like to allow the toilet to get too stinky, though, because that requires scrubbing with detergent, which is not only a pain in the ass but for all I know is probably worse for the environment than regular flushing.
And of course I am very familiar with California water shortages and related conservation measures. Not that I am endorsing waste of anything (especially things in short supply), but I think Michigan’s situation is a bit different:
As the ice sheet retreated into Canada, it temporarily made Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron into one huge body of water called Lake Nipissing, which had the unusual quality of having three outlets — via the Ottawa-St. Lawrence rivers, Detroit-St. Clair rivers and Illinois-Mississippi rivers.
Lake Huron continued to drain eastward out the Ottawa-St. Lawrence rivers until about 5,000-6,000 years ago. Lake Michigan continued to drain out the Illinois River where Chicago now stands until about only 3,000 years ago, when the Great Lakes finally assumed their present shapes.
The Great Lakes today hold an estimated six quadrillion gallons of water — a fifth, or 20 percent, of all the drinkable water on the surface of Earth.
If all the water in the Great Lakes were spread evenly over the continental U.S., the 48 states would be flooded under more than nine feet of water.
The surfaces of the lakes total more than 94,000 square miles — covering an area about the size of the entire state of Oregon.
Etc.
Again, I do not advocate waste. However, I am not sure that applying California water conservation techniques is needed here in Michigan. I also think it is a bit rude to butt into the life of a total stranger and scold him. I have a heavy beard, and after a workout I shave. Unlike the sink in my house, the gym sink has no stopper, and as I have a heavy beard, I cannot swish my razor around in the sink to get the hair stubble out. My Gillette Mach II has the triple blades that get mucked up by stubble and it is necessary to rinse it out repeatedly while I shave. And sure, maybe I could have been turning the water on and off more, but I shave pretty quickly, and unless we are sentenced to live in a communitarian world, I don’t see how my shaving habits are the business of a total stranger. It just isn’t a big deal.
Had he not been in such a hurry to leave without listening to my reply, I’d have liked to ask him whether he sits outside shower stalls with a stopwatch. He was a big overweight man, so I suspect he eats a lot more than I do… and what if his showers are longer than mine? What if his “carbon footprint” is bigger than mine? He was clean-shaven, like me, but is shaving necessary, or is it “bad for the environment”? How are these things to be fairly determined?
I wrote this post not merely because it was irritating, but because I think this man’s attitude is indicative of a mindset that regards environmentalism not as politics (which it is) but as a form of morality. Clearly, the guy thought this touched on the issue of right and wrong, and he believed (or at least wanted to believe) that I was in the wrong and that he was the upholder of righteousness.
Environmentalism is becoming one of those things considered beyond debate. Is that healthy for democracy?
Or is the democratic process trumped by “sacred” things?
Comments
14 responses to “Sacrilegious shaving?”
It sounds like he was just being a jerk.
Not all enviros act this way, but many do.
So do some, but I do’t think as many, Christians re their personal favorite bigotries. At least we don’t live in a culture which embodies jerkitude (the main of which contains over a billion, counting the jerks and their captive victims). I’m thankful for that, for both of us.
Berk.
.
Such incisive commentary, TMI.
Environmentalism is often nothing more than an unthinking knee jerk reaction of politically correct Liberals.
I recall a meeting with one, a government official. We were trying to sort out construction problems on a rainwater recycling tank that leaked. It had been installed to earn something called a LEED point and help earn a greenie plaque. Anyway, the environmental whacko was lecturing me on the importance of conserving water, and saving the runoff that would run into Lake Michigan.
I told him, “We have a very large and effective rainwater reservoir. If you look out the window, you will see the ships sailing on it.”
Unfortunately, this stuff happens.
I’m trying to learn to let it go as soon as possible. Many times I’m able to let go, but if I do get upset, I try to get over it early.
Case in point: I have 2 dogs, a golden and lab. The lab needs to be leashed, not the golden. A lady was jogging on the same side of the street, I was walking my dogs. She stopped and started yelling that she was going to call the police because my dogs aren’t leashed.
I kept my mouth shut and just kept going.
I have to admit, while I dislike waste, I find myself confused over exactly what constitutes waste. Water is drawn from the Huron River and put through pipes. If humans do not use it, the water flows on to Lake Erie. But if humans do use it to clean or wash or flush toilets, then instead of flowing directly back into the river, the used water flows to the wastewater treatment facility which then treats it before allowing it to flow back into the river (and on to Lake Erie). What is being wasted when humans use more water than they actually need? The water? Or the treatment system?
Oh, and I guess another form of waste would be letting a garden hose run unnecessarily. In that case, the water runs onto or into the ground and either runs through storm drains back into the river directly, or else merges into the groundwater — which also ultimately feeds back into the river and Lake Erie. The water does not vanish away. Even the evaporation cycle recycles it.
BTW, water that flows through pipes costs money. Here in Ann Arbor, the city is not getting enough money from water users to pay for the operating costs, so they have had to raise their rates. Reason? Because people are using less water!
I am absolutely serious. This was recently explained thusly to customers:
***QUOTE***
Understanding Ann Arbor Water Rate Increase
Ann Arbor water rates increased by 3.02% effective July 1, 2010 in part because the overall demand for water has been going down while the basic operating expenses remain. The vast majority of cost for the water treatment plant is related to the already built, existing infrastructure: the treatment plant, storage tanks, water main pipes, etc., as well as the personnel to run the system. The city refers to all of these costs as fixed because they must be covered whether the system is operating at full capacity or something less. This means that if less water is used, there are fewer units sold across which to spread those fixed costs.
***END QUOTE***
If the people were using more water, it would cost less.
(Still trying to figure out the meaning of waste….)
This is about normal, unfortunately. Where my mother lives in Australia, they had a terrible drought a few years ago and water tanks became the norm (as did all manner of water conservation methods, because they were down below 15% of capacity in the city dams and worried they’d run out of drinkable water). Fast forward a few years to where the dams are full, and the city councils are screaming because everyone is still conserving water so they’re not getting their excess water rates and can’t balance the budget (“excess water rates” = amount per gallon paid over a flat fee).
Thanks Kate. I think some of the confusion results from the fact that the city isn’t paying for the water it draws from the river. What users pay for is not water, but the costs of distribution of water, which do not hinge on the cost of water.
I think waste, for some, means not using a resource wisely – washing your driveway instead of sweeping it, to use a local example. For others, waste is any use of a resource that they personally do not approve of – a bath instead of a one-minute shower, imported produce, driving instead of riding a bike no matter the weather, using hydropower from what was once a salmon stream. I lean more towards the wise-use end of the spectrum, personally.
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I got sidetracked at the sentence in which you were at the gym in nothing but a towel around your waist. What was the topic?
I’m confused too… I thought I was trying to come up with a good waste line!
🙂
It was a wasted line.
At today’s prices no line should be wasted.
Ain’t no time to Haight.
Barely time to waist.