The EPA is concerned that the average shower, which lasts just eight minutes, uses 18 gallons of water, and has asked Americans to reduce their shower length by at lest one minute
The EPA wants hotels to monitor how much time its guests spend in the shower. The goal of the project is to change the behavior of Americans when they stay at hotels. (1)
The agency is spending $15,000 to create a wireless system that will track how much water a hotel guest uses to get them to 'modify their behavior.'
The EPA is concerned that the average shower, which lasts just eight minutes, uses 18 gallons of water, and has asked Americans to reduce their shower length by at lest one minute. The EPA also has a WaterSense program that challenges hotels to track their water use and upgrade their restrooms with low-flow toilets and shower heads. (1)
EPA press secretary Laura Allen said the EPA is not monitoring how much time hotel guests spend in the shower (even though they already have gathered data showing how much time is used). She argues, the marketplace, not EPA, will decide if there is a demand for this type of technology. (1) Wanna bet?
Charged with keeping America's air, water and soil clean, the EPA has been increasingly looking at homeowners, especially their use of pollution emitting tools like lawn mowers. As part of this, EPA has its eyes on pollution from backyard barbecues. The agency announced that it is funding a University of California project to limit emissions resulting in grease drippings with a special tray to catch them and a 'catalytic' filtration system. (2)
However, it isn't just the EPA. America has been overrun by control freaks. Michael Snyder (3) provides the following examples:
- In North Carolina, authorities are threatening to send a blogger to prison for blogging about his battle against diabetes.
- In San Francisco, if you do not recycle your trash correctly you can be fined up to $500.
- In Minnetonka, Minnesota, you can be fined up to $2,000 for having a muddy vehicle.
- In Hazelwood, Missouri, it is against the law for little girls to sell girl scout cookies in front of their homes.
- San Francisco has implemented a ban on Happy Meal Toys.
- In Hilton Head, South Carolina, it is illegal to have trash in your car.
- In major cities all over the United States, feeding the homeless has been banned due to 'health reasons.'
Jack Dini
References
1. Elizabeth Harrington, “EPA wants to monitor how long hotel guests spend in the shower,” Fox News, March 18, 2015
2. Paul Bedard, “Backyard burger and wiener roasts targeted by EPA,” Washington Examiner, March 16, 2016
3. Michael Snyder, “18 examples of the nanny state gone wild,” TheEconomicCollapse.com, May 31, 2012
Jack Dini is author of Challenging Environmental Mythology. He has also written for American Council on Science and Health, Environment & Climate News, and Hawaii Reporter.
