When we moved from our old house to the new one, we left a house with a septic tank and went to one that was served by our county's sewer service. Having one over the other isn't that much different, I suppose. They both do the job. Having a septic system requires maintenance (regular pumping) and very occasional replacement. Being on county sewer involves less maintenance, but our fee from the county is calculated based on our water usage.
At our other house, we were charged a flat fee for usage under a certain number of gallons every two months. We never hit that amount, so our water bill was always the same, and we didn't have to be super-careful with what we used. Not that we went out of our way to waste it, but water conservation was off of our radar because it didn't impact us financially.
Now, though, the sewer charge is based directly on our monthly usage: the more we use, the more we pay. Being a bit more careful with water is back on the radar again.
Enter Sesame Street with a water conservation message
My daughter and I watch little clips on YouTube. Sesame Street has officially put a bunch of their clips up, and one of them was this one dealing with water conservation. It's pretty cute (if a little bit exaggerated). Basic idea is that a kid leaves the water running while he brushes his teeth and washes his face. While the water goes down the drain, the water level in a lake goes down, threatening the fish that lives there. The fish calls the boy up on the phone and asks him not to waste water.
Now, when I catch my daughter leaving the water running, I tell her to “remember the fish” and she knows exactly what I'm talking about. Hopefully it won't be too long before she remembers the fish all by herself.
Time spent getting kids to be more mindful of conserving rather than wasting is time well spent.
