Before taking the university colloquium I had NEVER thought that my lifestyle could be characterized as extravagant. Sure, I knew that there were many people on the planet who didn't live as nicely as I did, but my car is about 15 years old, and my house is under 2000 square feet, and I've been recycling my newspapers and aluminum cans for as long as I can remember.
But after taking the quiz I began to get a little more perspective. One of my older siblings lives in California, and another lives in New York, and although we don't see each other often we have been known to rack up the air mileage around the holidays. My household members are very busy people (we're all employed and have hobbies and volunteer regularly), so we don't share cars much during the week. There are as many as four automobiles coming and going on any given weekday. I love bananas, but I'm pretty sure the ones I eat aren't grown anywhere near here.
What really brought the idea home for me though was the day when the well in my parents backyard ran dry. One day we turned on the tap, and nothing came out. It was devastating! They aren't connected to city water at all, and so for two days every time we needed water (to wash our hands, or to cook, or to bathe, or use the toilet or to wash clothes) we had to use bottled water. And we used a lot of bottle water. This made me think of all the people in the world who don't have access to clean water, who have to walk for miles to fill a bucket or jug, who must bathe, wash clothes, and drink from the same semi-polluted river.
Ever since the new well has been dug I've been super conscious of how we use or water. We turn off the tap when brushing our teeth. We rarely run the dishwasher, and then only when it's full. I still take long showers, but at least I feel sort of bad about it. What can I say? It's a learning process.
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