Thought for Thursday 6 June 2013 - You can't eat money

Change on Tuesday 4 June 2013: Blue Gold

I have a confession to make.... I waste a lot of water.

When I wash the dishes I fill the sink but then run the tap continually to rinse the suds from each scrubbed dish before I place it on the drying rack.

I leave the tap running while I brush my teeth.

I take long showers in the winter.

I don't use my washing machine on the water saving cycle because I don't want to have to wait the extra hour before I can hang it out.

These are habits which show that I haven't yet truly grasped the value of water. And since it's been weighing on my mind a lot lately I'm vowing to change them.

Why do we need to save water? savewater.com.au answers the question perfectly:

Fresh water is essential to our existence - it allows us to produce food, manufacture goods and sustain our health. It is also an essential part of the natural environment which supports all human, plant and animal life.

Global water consumption has risen almost tenfold since 1900, and many parts of the world, including many parts of Australia, are now reaching the limits of their supply. World population is expected to increase by 45% in the next thirty years, whilst freshwater runoff is expected to increase by 10%. UNESCO has predicted that by 2020 water shortage will be a serious worldwide problem.

One third of the world's population is already facing problems due to both water shortage and poor drinking water quality. Effects include massive outbreaks of disease, malnourishment and crop failure. In addition, excessive use of water has seen the degradation of the environment costing the world billions of dollars. 

I think the problem with water waste is the same as with many of the choices we make that aren't sustainable for the planet. We won't know what we've got til it's gone.

Now, when my OCD nature kicks in and I'm convinced the dishes aren't really clean unless fresh tap water has rinsed every last sud from them I think about the fact if we all continue using water at the rate we do we will run out. I think of the value of the "Blue Gold" that my kitchen sink's tap produces and I decide to conserve it.

I'm making a start with turning the tap off when I do dishes and brush my teeth, shortening my showers, and hitting that water saving button on the washing machine.

What changes can you make to save water? What can you visualize that helps you to understand it's value?

Lets not leave it too late.....

Fitness on Friday 31 May 2013 - Born To Run

Since my half marathon attempt earlier in the year my time spent running had been reduced to twice a week at most. I've always found that without the purpose of a race to train it's hard to muster up the motivation. That was until I started reading this book..... "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. I will post a full review of the book soon but for now wanted to share this fantastic segment which details competitive ultra marathon runner Ann Transon's explanation of her love affair with the sport to her friends.

"But yeah, Ann insisted, running was romantic; and no, of course her friends didn't get it because they'd never broken through. For them, running was a miserable two miles motivated solely by the size 6 jeans: get on the scale, get depressed, get your headphones on, and get it over with. But you can't muscle through a five-hour run that way; you have to relax into it, like easing your body into a hot bath, until it no longer resists the shock and begins to enjoy it. Relax enough, and your body becomes so familiar with the cradle-rocking rhythm that you almost forget you're moving. And once you break through to that soft, half-levitating flow, that's when the moonlight and champagne show up."

After reading about Ann Transon I ran 10km for the first time in weeks. And it didn't feel like an effort. It felt romantic. New running goal: Compete in an Ultra Trail run in the next two years.