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80/20 - has the drought made its way into your raleigh lifestyle?
Published Oct 23, 2007Views: 84
Is the drought getting through to the people of Raleigh? Do they understand the situation and what they can do to help? From conversations I’ve had and observations I’ve made, I’ve gathered that to people who are “into” Raleigh, the same type of people who visit this website and others similar, have probably made contentious strides to conserve their water, while others, making up the large majority, go about with their daily schedules completely oblivious to the situation we all find ourselves in.
There is certainly no shortage of news coverage. It’s rare to scan the headlines and not find at least mention of a drought-related story. But is this really penetrating the lifestyle of the average Raleigh resident? My completely unscientific approximation of the situation would be that something like 5% of the population has made serious strides to curb their water usage. These are the people that actually deprive themselves of common water-related comforts. Then there is probably another 15% who are aware of the situation, make efforts to manage their water supply, but don’t really go as far as to drastically alter their lifestyle. And then there is the final group, 80% strong, who are either completely oblivious to the drought and the possible implications, and/or either don’t care, don’t know, or aren’t willing to sacrifice - after all, what can just one person do in the scope of things.
One place noticeably lacking in the efforts are local businesses and restaurants. Has anyone actually not been brought water while dining at a reasonably high-dollar establishment. And why hasn’t a local restaurant taken the “freedom fries” route and offered a creative drink special to offset water consumption? They aren’t making any money from water anyway. I’m not a tough sale, but I’d gladly take a drink-special to a water any day of the week. Especially when I can feel like I’m doing something good for “the cause.”
Am I wrong? If not, what can be done to educate the masses and pull together? I don’t think the answer are press releases and statements from the Governor. Local issues are best served by grassroots movements and citizen responsibility. Share your ideas, and let’s get something started…
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