Why Save Water?
If you've paid for something on an "all you can eat" basis, why stop eating?

While at this conference (see prior entries), I'm staying at a crummy hotel at a premium price. Shut out of the host hotel (it was booked), I was forced to take up temporary residence at a hotel further away. One problem: it smells like mold whenever I open the door, the TV doesn't work, there's no desk, the two chairs are worn (one with a rip on the upholstered seat), and the carpet hasn't been cleaned in a year. Oh yeah, and I'm paying a 3-digit sum each night. Ouch.

Location, location, location, they say. Or in this case, it was timing, timing, timing. Anyway, since being in such a humid location is not my standard practice, I've taken a shower not only in the morning but also in the late afternoon, just before dinner.

Is this a waste of water? Perhaps; though taking a shower is refreshing, I doubt that it's an essential part of not offending my fellow conference attendees. On the other hand, I'm paying a flat rate for this room, and at quite a quite a dear price.

So why not take an extra shower? Run the AC even while I am gone, especially since it takes a while to cool off the room? Avoid the (minimal) effort of turning off the lights when I leave? Again, there's no financial incentive for me to not "waste resources." Oh, some hotels may leave little notes in the room about "being kind to the earth," but there's something in some people that says "I paid for this, I might as well use it."

There are a variety of ways in which the logic of this situation can be applied directly or in a modified form to various policy issues. But it's time to head for dinner. (permalink)