Saving the World through Conservation

The focus of my ethnographic research is on water conservation related to the sink/basin area. I figured I better begin thinking about product solutions to environmental problems now since that will be the focus of my future business. I started my ethnographic research off with a bit of self observation- we had a monster load of dishes to clean and a load like this obviously required a lot of water- it was a perfect place to start.

Through the process of washing the dishes, I realized how much water I wasted. First, there is the process of getting the temperature of the water to the right washing temperature, which itself wastes a fair amount. Then, you fill up the sink, and if you are like me, you continue to add to it while rinsing the dishes because the thought of wasting it right down the drain isn't bearable. But, putting it in the sink with the dishes just makes it diluted and grimy. And, lets face it, many of us just let it trickle off the plates and down the drain anyhow.

This last point was interesting because everyone has a different tendency when it came to how they utilize water. So, I constructed a picture matrix to illustrate the different tendencies that people have in regards to water conservation during teeth brushing to get a sense of the user landscape.

I wanted to get to the root of the problem for why water conservation is difficult to achieve behavioral changes in the home. I took the '5 Why's' approach and began asking some questions...

Conserving water is difficult in the home
Why? Because it is difficult to know how much is too much with each use
Why? Because people don't know if they are 'good' or 'bad' with water use
Why? Because the water utility doesn't have a system in place for individual household water usage comparisons with other households in the neighborhood
Why? Because the idea is new and is being tested at Excel with energy conservation
Why?Because energy conservation is a growing trend due to climate change, cost, and energy independence sentiments

Conserving water is difficult in the home
Why? Because it is difficult to know how much is too much with each use
Why? Because the only measurement is on your water bill every month
Why? Because sinks don't measure the water that is used after each use
Why? Because it is not automated
Why? Because automating a sink is expensive or Because people don't care about conservation

Conserving water is difficult to accomplish in the home
Why? Because it is hard to remember to conserve
Why? Because it is an absent minded activity
Why? Because it is a habit
Why? Because I've never worried about water conservation before
Why? Because water shortage doesn't seem like a possibility/people don't understand the risk

As a source for inspiration, I wondered how mother nature did the job, so I went to mother nature's source...

On my walk, I marveled at the lush life that the springs supported and it occurred to me that we throw away so much water that could otherwise support equally productive life systems.

On my walk home, I saw a perfect example of the yard system that would benefit from a water outlet that would drain our 'old' water. This could ultimately cut down on the water used in irrigation and would basically be a reuse system.