The ECO-nomist and water conservation

» Tips to save on water and your hydro bill

    
 

Brittney MacDonald

W: all know water
conservation is important,
but did you know it could

save you money? Though the
drought may be over, water
conservation should still be on
everyone’s mind. After all, it is
one of Canada’s greatest natural
resources. There are many

easy and simple ways to make
sure your hydro bill doesn’t go
through the roof, and best of
all, you'll be helping the planet
too—so you can build up all
that good karma for later! I’ve
gathered what | think are the
most accessible tips for saving
water, whether you live alone,
with a roommate, or youre still
at home.

Don't flush away money!
Using your toilet to dispose of
anything besides bodily waste
is basically the same thing
as flushing money down it. |
will admit I was guilty of this,
especially when I had leftover
soup or when I had a cold and
my house was littered with
tissues. Constantly flushing and
refilling the bowl in your toilet
costs money, and it’s wasteful.
That water now has to go
through the sewage system, and
eventually a treatment facility
all because you were too lazy to
throw a cotton ball in the trash.
Doesn’t make sense when you
think about it like that, does it?

Put plastic bottles in your
toilet tank. Now I know this

: sounds really odd, but if you

: fill two plastic bottles halfway

: with sand and/or rocks, and

: then fill them the rest of the

: way with water before putting

: the caps back on, and place

: them in your toilet tank away

: from the mechanical parts—it

: will save a lot of water! Basically
: how this works is it reduces

: the amount of water it takes to

: fill your toilet tank so that the

: flushing mechanism will work.

: This will save about 37 litres of

: water a day, especially if your

: toilet is older. This in turn will:
: save you money—just make sure :
: that at least 11 litres of water are :
: still available in the tank. Any

: less, and this trick might affect
: functionality.

Reduce your shower time

by at least a minute. For women
: thisisa tricky one; I mean,

: we have so much to do in the

: shower! But if you can cut

: down on your time by even the

: smallest amount on a consistent
: basis, you will see a noticeable

: difference in your hydro bill. A

: good way to achieve this is to

: pick and choose what you'll do

: in the shower. You shouldn’t

: wash your hair every day, and

: it’s fall, so you can go without

: shaving your legs fora day. For:
: men, rinse your razor in the sink :
: rather than running it under a :
: tap. This will reduce the amount :
: of water youre using, and it’s
: just as effective.

Chill your water pre-

emptively. Now, I don’t drink
: tap water, mostly because I

: live in Mission so it all tastes

: like chemicals. But for people

: in Vancouver or Coquitlam

: who are budget conscious and

: don’t want to use bottled water

: ora filtration device, storing

: drinking water in the fridge will
: actually save water. Basically,

: when you go to get a glass of

: water, you have to run the tap a
: bit so that it cools. This wastes
: water, and a very simple way

: of preventing this is to store

: drinking water in your fridge.

: That way, it’s always the perfect
; temperature.

  

Image via Thinkstock

Like with anything, it’s the

: small stuff that will garner you

: the most satisfying results. So

: whether you want to save the

: world, or maybe just your wallet,
: doing little things around your

: house can help a lot.

 

Obsessive observations on Starbucks

» A look into why people are addicted to the franchise giant

: a crazed spender with cash

: to flaunt, but for many, it’s a
: lifestyle—one that they are
: devoted to.

ome might say that coffee

makes the world go round. As
I grew up, I saw my dad regularly
enjoy a cup of joe, usually made
at home or for free from the
bank. Unlike him, more people
today are spending their money
(and lots of it) at coffeehouses
like Starbucks. As one of the
most beloved and widespread
chains in North America, this
powerhouse of a company has
millions of people visiting their
stores daily. In the morning, you
arrive in line to be greeted by a
friendly barista and make your
way to work with a croissant and
latte in hand. In the afternoon,
you stop by to grab a bagel
complemented by a frappuccino.
And, in the evening, you order
a couple hot chocolates as you
make your way home. This isn’t
just an out-of-the-ordinary

: day, it’s your routine. For some,
this might make you look like

Recently, I conversed with

: a friend who works behind

: the counter at Starbucks. Asa

: barista, she gave me the inside
: scoop that keeps customers

: coming back and turns them

: into regulars. “I strive to

: maintain a positive, warm, and
: welcoming atmosphere. I’m a

: natural [with people]. The fact
: that customers can customize

: their drink to meet their needs
: makes it accessible to anyone.”
: Most businesses do their best

: to make the customer feel like

: they are at home, and Starbucks
: has accomplished that personal
: connection with names. By

: simply writing your name on

: the cup, your experience at any
: location is deemed worthwhile.

: The act of personalized

: service is beyond value to any

: customer. But does it really

: make it personal, or is it all just
: a convention? Something meant :
: to trick you into forgetting that
: they're a huge multi-billion

: dollar company, and not just a

: little mom and pop shop?

Another aspect of the name

: writing is the way baristas spell
: them. Almost as a joke, many

: would argue that baristas are

: purposely writing your name

: incorrectly. Though my friend

: hasn’t heard of any misspellings
: in her store, I’ve had mine

: spelled in any variation other

: than my actual name, from

: Aran to Erin. This problem

: has turned out to be a tactic

: to fuel talk on social media, as

: complaints from Snapchat to

: Twitter unintentionally provide
: free advertisements for this

: coffee corporation, garnering

: worldwide attention.

: For many, a relationship
: with Starbucks is a love-hate one :
: at best. But the next time you :
: walk into any coffeehouse, make
: sure you aren't blowing all your

: money away. With at least an

  

Illustration by Ed Appleby

: estimated $4.25 per visit, every

weekday, for a year, you'll be

: spending almost $1200—that’s a
: lot to spend just on coffee, and

: you gotta save some extra cash

: for all those Timbits too.