Windows and missed opportunities

Abstract

WATER rationing has been introduced in most of the larger cities of southern Australia as a consequence of a shortage of water. The rationing is implemented by limiting the timing (to cooler parts of the day) and frequency with which gardens can be watered, and preventing unneeded waste, such as cleaning vehicles and concrete paths with hoses. There is, however, no guarantee that this method will lead to less water being used and no predetermined target for the level of reduction required. Few people complain about this type of rationing because the quality of our lives has not altered. But what if the requirement was for every one of us to reduce our current water consumption by at least 20% or perhaps to have an absolute limit placed on the volume of water we could use. How would we use the ration of water that we were allocated?