Foreign Eye

As is appropriate for every civilized nation, Dutch people care about the environment. Everything seems fine on the level of nation. Politics keep on hardening environmental policies, scientists and engineers work on efficiency of recycling. The amount of fresh water flushed down the toilet remains staggering though. The reason for this partly lies on a personal level. Do we really do everything possible to keep from wasting water? Taking long showers, letting the water flow while we brush our teeth… After all, the solution to environmental problems lies in people’s consciousness, and none of the technological advances will help unless we completely change our approach on a personal level, day to day, without waiting for someone else to do it first.

(Photo/Caption: Pavel Prokopchik, BSc, Russia)

Originally I come from one of the Eastern-bloc countries. Almost every apartment in my home country has a bathtub. But bathtubs in Holland are considered a luxury, as they’re not environmentally friendly Dutch people say, since taking baths cost more water than taking showers. As is appropriate for every civilized nation, Dutch people care about the environment. Everything seems fine on the level of nation. Politics keep on hardening environmental policies, scientists and engineers work on efficiency of recycling. The amount of fresh water flushed down the toilet remains staggering though. The reason for this partly lies on a personal level. Do we really do everything possible to keep from wasting water? Taking long showers, letting the water flow while we brush our teeth… After all, the solution to environmental problems lies in people’s consciousness, and none of the technological advances will help unless we completely change our approach on a personal level, day to day, without waiting for someone else to do it first.

(Photo/Caption: Pavel Prokopchik, BSc, Russia)