Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Take Home Message
The average American is ignorant to the amount of water they use daily. In the United States the direct water use per person is 150 gallons per day. Now imagine that you only have one gallon a day to live on, how would your life change? Below is a link to track your daily water use.
Bad Water Habits
This is a wasteful way to brush your teeth, so don't do it
Try and keep your showers as short as possible
Don't put one thing in the washing machine, it wastes water and it's kind of dumb in general
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Reflection
In our control day each of us used at least 50 gallons of water, to do our task we had to cut that number down to one gallon of water a day to experience how people in developing countries live. Here are our relfections on how we felt after going from over 50 gallons of water down to one gallon of water.
- Eddie Goodman
When comparing the days I could use my normal usage of water to the days I was limited to only using one gallon of water per day, the days that I was limited to my water use was considerably more difficult. The simplest of task which invloved water became harder, because I had to take into account that I had a limit to my water supply. Doing task such as washing my cloths, flushing the toilet, taking a shower, all had to be removed from my everyday routine. I found it to be more important to drink water then to be clean during the two days of being limited to water usage. I don't typically have to debate about such things when I use my typical consumption of water. What I gained from this project is that we as Americans do not realize how lucky we really are in having the avaliabilty of resources, like water. We need to become more aware of how we abuse resources, such as water in our society, and be grateful for what we have.
- Tyler Kendle
After spending two days in our control I realized that spending two days with only one gallon of water was going to be very difficult. From participating in the control I realized that I spent around 90 gallons of water throughout the day. The 90 gallons was used to take a shower, brush my teeth, flush the toilet, wash my hands, cook food, wash dishes, and also wash my clothes. Going from 90 gallons of water down to one gallon will not allow me to do all the same things I just did. I had to cut down on all of those activities, for instance, I did not take a shower at all during my two days of using one gallon of water. Also I decided that every time I had to use the bathroom I would go down the hall to the public restrooms and use a urinal because those are much easier to not flush that our toilet. Also every time I would have flushed the toilet I would have used up one gallon because most toilets are a standard one gallon flush. With my one gallon of water I would pour a little bit into my hands so that I could wash them after using the bathroom because I am a very clean person. Most of the time I take the full 30 seconds required to wash my hands so this was a big step for me to cut it down. Another big step was rationing the amount of water I could drink throughout the day instead of normally drinking as much as I want. Doing this project was very challenging but very beneficial to me and the rest of our group. I would recommend this project to another one of your ISS classes.
- Ian Childs
I never realized how much water I used in a day prior to this project. Showering, flushing a toilet, having water to brush your teeth and wash your clothes; all of these are luxuries that I have been taking for granted. I will no longer be so careless in my water consumption. I'll reuse any water bottles I have rather than buying a new one every time I'm thirsty. I'll try to take shorter showers, and I'll make sure not to let the water run while I brush my teeth. Before this project I thought that I didn't use very much water, and it turned out that I used over 50 gallons daily while much of the world survives on one gallon a day or less. From now on I plan to be less wasteful with my water consumption.
- Dan Grinberg
I did not realize how much I would have to change my habits for this assignment. I could not wash my hands after going to the bathroom and it made me feel horrible. Luckily I had some purell. I even had to skip showers or give myself a sponge bath with a wet towl. I never realized how much low water access affects the hygene of people in developing countires. I took such a simple thing as washing my hands for granted. Another thing I had to take the bus and use the eveators. I even had to monitor how much I talked to avoid getting to thirsty. I never had to be so conscious of my hydration levels before. Before this project I never stopped to think that this is how people in developing countires live every day. It makes me feel very fortunate for the easy access we have to water.
- Dominique Benjamin
When choosing the project that I wanted to be a part of, I chose the water group because I knew that it would be a challege to change my daily consumption of water from its' current usage to one gallon of water. The challenge interested me, and I wanted to see if it was possible to maintain my current lifestyle and reduce my consumption drastically. It was not possible at all. I had to change all of my daily routines. For instance, the way in which I brushed my teeth, not flushing the toilet (which was quite gross), not running the dish washer, not washing clothes, and limiting my daily intake of water. This lifestyle is one that would be very troublesome in becoming accustom to and I fear of being accustom to this lifesyle. Many individuals in third world countries have to life this lifestyle for their whole lives and we as Americans do not realize that water is very accessible and plentiful and we tend to waste it often. If more Americans experienced this simulation, they would probably be more cautious on the amount of water that is used daily and also be more concerned about those who do not have access to such resources.
- Eddie Goodman
When comparing the days I could use my normal usage of water to the days I was limited to only using one gallon of water per day, the days that I was limited to my water use was considerably more difficult. The simplest of task which invloved water became harder, because I had to take into account that I had a limit to my water supply. Doing task such as washing my cloths, flushing the toilet, taking a shower, all had to be removed from my everyday routine. I found it to be more important to drink water then to be clean during the two days of being limited to water usage. I don't typically have to debate about such things when I use my typical consumption of water. What I gained from this project is that we as Americans do not realize how lucky we really are in having the avaliabilty of resources, like water. We need to become more aware of how we abuse resources, such as water in our society, and be grateful for what we have.
- Tyler Kendle
After spending two days in our control I realized that spending two days with only one gallon of water was going to be very difficult. From participating in the control I realized that I spent around 90 gallons of water throughout the day. The 90 gallons was used to take a shower, brush my teeth, flush the toilet, wash my hands, cook food, wash dishes, and also wash my clothes. Going from 90 gallons of water down to one gallon will not allow me to do all the same things I just did. I had to cut down on all of those activities, for instance, I did not take a shower at all during my two days of using one gallon of water. Also I decided that every time I had to use the bathroom I would go down the hall to the public restrooms and use a urinal because those are much easier to not flush that our toilet. Also every time I would have flushed the toilet I would have used up one gallon because most toilets are a standard one gallon flush. With my one gallon of water I would pour a little bit into my hands so that I could wash them after using the bathroom because I am a very clean person. Most of the time I take the full 30 seconds required to wash my hands so this was a big step for me to cut it down. Another big step was rationing the amount of water I could drink throughout the day instead of normally drinking as much as I want. Doing this project was very challenging but very beneficial to me and the rest of our group. I would recommend this project to another one of your ISS classes.
- Ian Childs
I never realized how much water I used in a day prior to this project. Showering, flushing a toilet, having water to brush your teeth and wash your clothes; all of these are luxuries that I have been taking for granted. I will no longer be so careless in my water consumption. I'll reuse any water bottles I have rather than buying a new one every time I'm thirsty. I'll try to take shorter showers, and I'll make sure not to let the water run while I brush my teeth. Before this project I thought that I didn't use very much water, and it turned out that I used over 50 gallons daily while much of the world survives on one gallon a day or less. From now on I plan to be less wasteful with my water consumption.
- Dan Grinberg
I did not realize how much I would have to change my habits for this assignment. I could not wash my hands after going to the bathroom and it made me feel horrible. Luckily I had some purell. I even had to skip showers or give myself a sponge bath with a wet towl. I never realized how much low water access affects the hygene of people in developing countires. I took such a simple thing as washing my hands for granted. Another thing I had to take the bus and use the eveators. I even had to monitor how much I talked to avoid getting to thirsty. I never had to be so conscious of my hydration levels before. Before this project I never stopped to think that this is how people in developing countires live every day. It makes me feel very fortunate for the easy access we have to water.
- Dominique Benjamin
When choosing the project that I wanted to be a part of, I chose the water group because I knew that it would be a challege to change my daily consumption of water from its' current usage to one gallon of water. The challenge interested me, and I wanted to see if it was possible to maintain my current lifestyle and reduce my consumption drastically. It was not possible at all. I had to change all of my daily routines. For instance, the way in which I brushed my teeth, not flushing the toilet (which was quite gross), not running the dish washer, not washing clothes, and limiting my daily intake of water. This lifestyle is one that would be very troublesome in becoming accustom to and I fear of being accustom to this lifesyle. Many individuals in third world countries have to life this lifestyle for their whole lives and we as Americans do not realize that water is very accessible and plentiful and we tend to waste it often. If more Americans experienced this simulation, they would probably be more cautious on the amount of water that is used daily and also be more concerned about those who do not have access to such resources.
A Wetless Wednesday
Our first day of only using one gallon of water
To ensure that we only used one gallon we filled up 2 two liter Pop bottles of water.
Eddie Goodman
- I woke up
- Went to the bathroom and didn't flush (made roommates mad)
- Washed my hands using my bottled water
- Brushed my teeth (used my bottles of water)
- "Sink Bath" (didn't really take a bath in my sink)
- Went to school
- Drank some of my water for lunch
- Went to the bathroom again, didn't flush
-Washed hands with bottled water
- Got home
- Went to the bathroom, didn't flush
- Wash hands with bottled water
- "Sink Bath"
- Brushed my teeth (used bottles of water)
- Went to sleep
Tyler Kendle
- Woke up at 7:30 and did not take a shower
- Used urinal down the hall and did not flush
- Washed hands with water from liter bottle
- Filled up my 750ml water bottle from liter bottle
- Three hours later filled up my water bottle again
- Used urinal again so I did not have to flush
- Filled up water bottle before bed
- Used Urinal and did not wash hands
- Went to bed
Ian Childs
-Wake up
-Skip shower
-Brush teeth
-Fill up my 20 oz. water bottle
-After KIN 108 (indoor soccer) I had to towel off with a damp towel
-Went to IAH231 right after toweling off
-Nobody sat next to me
-Went home after class
-Went to the bathroom and did not flush (if it's yellow, let it mellow)
-Went to dodgeball and drank 1 liter of water during practice
-Went home
-Used another damp towel to wash off
-Brushed teeth
-Went to bed
Dan Grinberg
-Woke up
-Brushed my teeth
-Went to the bathroom and did not flush
-Used Purell (That's right, working the system)
-Did not shower (Took one for the team)
-Had a small glass of water
-Biked to class, made me thirsty
-Walked up a flight of stairs, that was dumb, i got thirsty
-Had half a glass of water
-Went to the bathroom, did not courtesy flush
-Used purell
-Cooked without water
-Had a small glass of water
-Went to the bathroom, did not flush
-Went to bed
Dominique Benjamin:
-Woke up
-Used the bathroom, but did not flush
-Used purell to sanitize hands
-Brushed teeth without the water running
-Took a "sink bath"
-Had a cup of water to drink
-Went to class and work
-Had another cup of water to drink
-Took another "sink bath"
-Brushed teeth without the water running
-Used the bathroom without flushing
-Used purell to sanitize hands
-Went to sleep
-Woke up, used the bathroom without flushing
-Used purell to sanitize hands
-Went to bed for the night
To ensure that we only used one gallon we filled up 2 two liter Pop bottles of water.
Eddie Goodman
- I woke up
- Went to the bathroom and didn't flush (made roommates mad)
- Washed my hands using my bottled water
- Brushed my teeth (used my bottles of water)
- "Sink Bath" (didn't really take a bath in my sink)
- Went to school
- Drank some of my water for lunch
- Went to the bathroom again, didn't flush
-Washed hands with bottled water
- Got home
- Went to the bathroom, didn't flush
- Wash hands with bottled water
- "Sink Bath"
- Brushed my teeth (used bottles of water)
- Went to sleep
Tyler Kendle
- Woke up at 7:30 and did not take a shower
- Used urinal down the hall and did not flush
- Washed hands with water from liter bottle
- Filled up my 750ml water bottle from liter bottle
- Three hours later filled up my water bottle again
- Used urinal again so I did not have to flush
- Filled up water bottle before bed
- Used Urinal and did not wash hands
- Went to bed
Ian Childs
-Wake up
-Skip shower
-Brush teeth
-Fill up my 20 oz. water bottle
-After KIN 108 (indoor soccer) I had to towel off with a damp towel
-Went to IAH231 right after toweling off
-Nobody sat next to me
-Went home after class
-Went to the bathroom and did not flush (if it's yellow, let it mellow)
-Went to dodgeball and drank 1 liter of water during practice
-Went home
-Used another damp towel to wash off
-Brushed teeth
-Went to bed
Dan Grinberg
-Woke up
-Brushed my teeth
-Went to the bathroom and did not flush
-Used Purell (That's right, working the system)
-Did not shower (Took one for the team)
-Had a small glass of water
-Biked to class, made me thirsty
-Walked up a flight of stairs, that was dumb, i got thirsty
-Had half a glass of water
-Went to the bathroom, did not courtesy flush
-Used purell
-Cooked without water
-Had a small glass of water
-Went to the bathroom, did not flush
-Went to bed
Dominique Benjamin:
-Woke up
-Used the bathroom, but did not flush
-Used purell to sanitize hands
-Brushed teeth without the water running
-Took a "sink bath"
-Had a cup of water to drink
-Went to class and work
-Had another cup of water to drink
-Took another "sink bath"
-Brushed teeth without the water running
-Used the bathroom without flushing
-Used purell to sanitize hands
-Went to sleep
-Woke up, used the bathroom without flushing
-Used purell to sanitize hands
-Went to bed for the night
Control Day
These are our individual consumption patterns,
Eddie Goodman
- Woke up.
- Used and flushed the toilet.
- Took a shower.
- Brushed my teeth.
- Later in the day, bought a water bottle.
- Drank out of the faucets at school a couple times.
- Went to the bathroom periodically, three to four times.
- Came home. Took a shower.
- Brush my teeth
- Go to the bathroom
- Went to bed.
50 Gallons of water used
Tyler Kendle
-Woke up
- Used and Flushed toilet
- Washed Hands
- Took a shower
- Brushed teeth
- Filled up 750ml water bottle
- Washed two loads of laundry
- Filled up 750ml water bottle again
- Cooked Mac and Cheese in 500ml water
- Washed Dishes in dish washer
- Filled up 750ml water bottle
- Used and Flushed toilet
- Went to bed
90 Gallons of water used
Ian Childs
-Wake up
-Shower
-Brush teeth
-Fill 20 oz. water bottle
-Go to the bathroom
-Go to and from classes for the day
-Drink 20 oz. of water with dinner
-Shower before bed
-Brush teeth before bed
-Go to sleep
63 Gallons of water used
Dan Grinberg
-Woke up
-Used and flushed the toilet
-Took a shower
-Brushed teeth
-Drank a glass of water (Brita Filter)
-Drank out of a fountain
-Used the toilet and flushed twice (Courtesy Flush)
-Drank a glass of water (Brita Filter)
-Cooked a cup of rice with 2 cups of water (Fun fact that's the ratio you want)
-Used the toilet and flushed
-Drank a glass of water (Brita Filter)
-Brushed teeth
-Used toilet and flushed
-Had a glass of water (Brita Filter)
-Went to sleep
52 Gallons of water used
Dominique Benjamin:
-Woke up
-Used and Flushed the toilet
-Washed hands
-Brushed teeth (with running water)
-Took a shower
-Grabbed a bottle of water out of the vending machine
-Used and flushed the toilet
-Washed hands
-Used water to cook broccoli with dinner
-Rinsed the dishes
-Ran the dishwasher
-Washed two extra large loads of clothes
-Brushed teeth (with running water)
-Used and flushed the toilet
-Went to sleep
-Woke up to use and flush the toilet
-Washed hands
-Went to bed for the night
60 Gallons of water used
Eddie Goodman
- Woke up.
- Used and flushed the toilet.
- Took a shower.
- Brushed my teeth.
- Later in the day, bought a water bottle.
- Drank out of the faucets at school a couple times.
- Went to the bathroom periodically, three to four times.
- Came home. Took a shower.
- Brush my teeth
- Go to the bathroom
- Went to bed.
50 Gallons of water used
Tyler Kendle
-Woke up
- Used and Flushed toilet
- Washed Hands
- Took a shower
- Brushed teeth
- Filled up 750ml water bottle
- Washed two loads of laundry
- Filled up 750ml water bottle again
- Cooked Mac and Cheese in 500ml water
- Washed Dishes in dish washer
- Filled up 750ml water bottle
- Used and Flushed toilet
- Went to bed
90 Gallons of water used
Ian Childs
-Wake up
-Shower
-Brush teeth
-Fill 20 oz. water bottle
-Go to the bathroom
-Go to and from classes for the day
-Drink 20 oz. of water with dinner
-Shower before bed
-Brush teeth before bed
-Go to sleep
63 Gallons of water used
Dan Grinberg
-Woke up
-Used and flushed the toilet
-Took a shower
-Brushed teeth
-Drank a glass of water (Brita Filter)
-Drank out of a fountain
-Used the toilet and flushed twice (Courtesy Flush)
-Drank a glass of water (Brita Filter)
-Cooked a cup of rice with 2 cups of water (Fun fact that's the ratio you want)
-Used the toilet and flushed
-Drank a glass of water (Brita Filter)
-Brushed teeth
-Used toilet and flushed
-Had a glass of water (Brita Filter)
-Went to sleep
52 Gallons of water used
Dominique Benjamin:
-Woke up
-Used and Flushed the toilet
-Washed hands
-Brushed teeth (with running water)
-Took a shower
-Grabbed a bottle of water out of the vending machine
-Used and flushed the toilet
-Washed hands
-Used water to cook broccoli with dinner
-Rinsed the dishes
-Ran the dishwasher
-Washed two extra large loads of clothes
-Brushed teeth (with running water)
-Used and flushed the toilet
-Went to sleep
-Woke up to use and flush the toilet
-Washed hands
-Went to bed for the night
60 Gallons of water used
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