My dad is a water addict. Don't get me wrong, I'm no water conservation hero either. I have many a 'let-the-water-run slip-ups, however my father is an H2Ohmygod do you really need those twelve gallons of water to wash that spoon person. After beginning "What You Can Do", watching my father's water consumption in the kitchen sometimes causes me to have heart palpitations. He's a full blast, dawdle while you wash dish washer.
Since my dad would likely assume you could cook a pot roast in the blender, he puts in his share of the holiday workload by doing the dishes. He does them every year and it's always assumed that it's his gig. This year though, I've decided to ask him to be more mindful as he hand washes the plates and such. To shut off the faucet if he needs to walk away from the sink to grab a dish. To shut the water off again if he needs to scrub something for any length of time. What do you think - is that judgmental or is it environmental of me? I myself have resolved to be more aware of when I'm turning the sink on and off as well. DO turn the sink on when rinsing a dish. DON'T turn the sink on when scrubbing a dish. And I know my dad won't want me to co-opt his dish duty, since traditionally, my dad does the dishes, my mom and I cook and my sister clears the table.
So is his water usage my business?
Before you answer, check out this statistic: according to the EPA, if every household in the US reduced their water use by ten gallons on Thanksgiving, we’d save more than one billion gallons of water.
Does the environment trump politeness? Should I risk it?
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