See, here's the thing about Copenhagen.  It's kind of a big deal.  It’s kind of a huge deal.  Because, think about it.  I can bring reusable shopping bags to Trader Joes when buying my 100% post-consumer recycled toilet paper.  I can ride my bike to the farmers market and turn lights off when I leave the room to conserve energy resources.  But the changes that countries, governments and huge corporations can make are the changes that will have the greater impact. 

As the winter storms approach, all I hear about is rain barrel
this, rain barrel that.  It may not
be the latest, but it certainly is the greatest way to harvest rainwater for
reuse.  If you have a roof and
gutters you’re pretty much set. 
Plus, it can save you a significant amount of money every month on water
bills.

But, there is time involved for installation, or if you can’t
be bothered with it, then a small cost is required to hire someone to do it for
you.  And then there’s
maintenance.  If you live in an
area where the temperature drops below freezing in the winter, you must drain
and properly store your barrel to prevent cracks.  All of this takes time and dedication.  So the real question is…do you really
care enough?

It reminds me of those old anti-smoking ads that were quite
popular when I was younger.  Huge
piles of expensive things were shown, ranging of big-screen TVs to skis,
vacations and car payments.  All
these things you could have, and all you had to do was give up smoking.  The campaign ended because it wasn’t as
successful as one might think.  The
thing is…people don’t care.  They’re
happy to stick with their habit, knowing the damage it causes, because they are
addicted.  No pile of swag they
could potentially have is going to make them quit.  And it’s the same thing regarding water conservation.

We’re addicted to convenience.  Whether it’s buying water in plastic bottles because it’s “fresh”
and “clean” and we don’t have to filter it ourselves, or simply turning your
hose on and watering your front garden with city water, and not having to go
through the small hassle of setting up your own system of catching and
reclaiming water.

We’re lazy.  But
that doesn’t mean we can’t change. 
Just like people can up and quit smoking cold turkey, we can prove to
ourselves we’re stronger by making daily changes in our lives that benefit the
earth.

So quit making excuses and go buy a rain barrel.  Excuses don’t work anymore, not that
they ever really did.  It’s time
for some dedicated action.