every time i go downtown early in the morning i see one of the most asinine and wasteful things: people hosing off sidewalks. every day. a large number, if not a majority, of downtown office buildings have workers with hoses, sometimes power washers, cleaning sidewalks in front of buildings.

we live in a relatively water rich area of the world, but that doesnt mean we need to waste what we have. remember how gas was dirt cheap a few years ago? sure water is cheap now, but why waste? and what about tomorrow. people struggle to find water in parts of the world and here, in DC, thousands of gallons a day are being used to clean sidewalks. couldnt we just use brooms? maybe hose things down once a month or something. seems cheaper to give that guy a $25 broom once or twice a year rather than run a hose for an hour or two every morning.

maybe its a small thing, but it irritates me. it also irritates me when people throw paper into the trash when the recycling bin is right next to it. just stop and think. there are things a lot of us could do that wouldnt seriously alter out lives that could help us save money and conserve resources. and before you say why, why not? even if it turns out unnecessary, what harm has it done?