Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Each person should have ready access, for free or at a low cost, to a suffi ciency of
water and energy. (By 'a suffi ciency' I mean enough for a simple, convenient and
dignifi ed life. This will depend strongly on personal circumstances and physical
infrastructure, e.g. availability of grey water fi ltration for toilets and gardens.
Bathing water should however be potable, for safety in case of ingestion by chil-
dren.) The price should thereafter rise, gradually at fi rst but then steeply. I suggest
that the price could rise eventually to one or two orders of magnitude above cost
price, to dissuade profl igacy. Easy routine monitoring of consumption, or, better, a
warning system, to give early warning of a high rate kicking in, would be needed,
especially in case of a leak.
Yet in today's extreme disparity between the poorest and the richest, no reason-
able water and energy price structure will, by itself, affect the richest. Moderation in
the usage of these vital utilities is essential. Two solutions to this problem come to
mind. One is rationing (averaged over several years, to allow for fl uctuations in cir-
cumstances) and the other is maximum income (Cottey
undated
; Pizzigati
2004
). This
would depend on the individual's circumstances. Some multiple of a basic income
for all, such as one order of magnitude (~10), has been suggested for the sake of an
example (Pizzigati
2004
). As for obstacles to this proposal, which apparently seems
utopian to most, one must consider that the near future is likely, due to the ecological
state of the planet, to see rapid changes in any case, making the developments since
the beginning of civilisation (agriculture, writing, cities, empires) seem gradual.
4.3
Personal
Safety
Safe bathing is largely a matter of public attitude and knowledge. The engi-
neer's task is to design systems and artefacts that are as safe as possible, subject to
cultural constraints over which the engineer, like the citizen, does not have indi-
vidual control. In the present culture, marketing has a powerful effect in creating
public desires (Barber
2008
), and the engineer's concern for safety is sometimes in
confl ict with the marketeer's concern for image. This is especially noticeable in the
design of showers. They, together with other bathing equipment and the space itself,
ought to be designed with the needs of all potential users in mind. These include
people who are impatient, clumsy, old and young and have disabilities of numerous
kinds, as well as the mature, fi t athletic person.
The main safety issue for bathing today is surely slipping in the shower. One
might expect it to be easy to fi nd adequate statistics on this but such is not the case.
This would appear to be because only serious accidents are recorded, such as death
or admission to an accident and emergency centre. Nevertheless, one can assert that
slipping in the shower is a major issue from everyone's personal experience. Even
if everyone has not had an actual fall in the shower, everyone has had a near miss or
else has noted when a shower fl oor is slippery and taken care and also recognised
the risk for a less agile person.
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