To think most people would not care if it was free.

[DrinkTaboo]

Ok so today I have been off, had friend around an catching up on a bit of washing. I throw a load on an it's like half full, I don't give a shit on it goes. Friend then tuts an tells me I am being wasteful!

AIBU to not give a shit about saving the planet every second of the day? Yes I do my bit but really I could careless if my washer or dishwasher is not full to breaking point when I put it on.

So this got me thinking and so I'm asking on here do you care? Do you worry everytime you do something about the effect it is having on the planet? Driving? Taking the bus/train? Using anything in your home that will use water or energy? And would you care still if it was all free? If heating your home in winter was free would you still limit it just to save energy or would you think bollocks to energy saving, I'm cold?

Am I a shit person for not caring? I'm not a piss take I do turn the tap off when brushing teeth, turn lights off when leaving a room ect... But yeah.

Oh btw this friend leaves her tap running for her cat! But tells me I am bloody wasteful....

I just think if all energy were free most (not all) people would not care about turning that TV off at the wall. AIBU?

I do pay attention to the energy I’m using, yes. I try and use things efficiently.

I have much bigger things to worry about, tbh. YANBU.

I do care, but I’ll be honest my motivation is money. Water meter? Paying for electricity? Not a hope am I running them half full.

I'm motivated by both. I wouldn't run a half empty washing machine because it's wasteful, both of resources and of my money.
However if heating was free I'd have it on a bit more than I do, yes. I wouldn't leave it on when I didn't need it though.

I've spent years being careful with water despite having an unmetered supply until recently. So the answer is yes.

I thought washing machines were 'intelligent' and reduced water/length of cycle on smaller loads

Yes, i consider my actions

Im not on a water meter but i still use as little as possible.

@timshelthechoice I'm sorry but what's bigger in your life than the bloody planet you live on?!

Also, I often do half loads, but I put the machine on half load or a quicker wash. No point using all the water if I don't need to.

Yes, i try to think about the planet. And I think it’s possible to be motivated by more than one thing simultaneously. The thing is that the more environmental choice is quite often also cheaper or healthier or whatever. Not always, but quite often.

For example I try to walk places as much as possible because a) petrol costs a bomb, b) parking costs a bomb, c) it’s better for the environment and d) it’s better for my waistline.

My washing machine weighs the load and shortens the time if it's not full, so you don't have to wait around so long and hopefully uses less water and energy.

I do try not to be wasteful even if the financial saving is small but sometimes I use so much less than a lot of people based on what people write on here and how people IRL behave that even if I totally cut things out the savings would be less than heavy users cutting down by 10%, so it doesn't always seem worth it, eg we still have most of a roll of aluminium foil that we bought on holiday over a year ago and the cling film is even older than that.

I buy about one drink a month in a single use cup and maybe the same number of bottled water while some people have these daily and shower gel, shampoo etc, lasts for weeks while people on here talk about buying a bottle a week, same for bleach etc.

Depends: mundane tasks like using a washing machine, dishwasher: I try to fill them, to get most use out of them, because yes, I do think about the cost. I am motivated by money with a lot of these choices: I drive a small car, but if the "save the planet" brigade had their way, we wouldn't have cars at all.

Travelling by train? Maybe it's the more ethical choice, but usually it's much more expensive than by car, slower if you're not going in or out of London, and less reliable, so sorry, rail shareholders, I'm sticking to road.

Certain comforts, like long showers, I don't think about. Yes, it costs, in money and eventually the environment, but how far do you go? As a child, I probably used the "saving the planet" excuse as a good reason not to have a bath.

When I need a new light bulb, I do now buy an LED one (while shuddering at the cost compared to other kinds), but I'm not going to replace them all in one go, just because.

I'm sorry but what's bigger in your life than the bloody planet you live on?!

Some very serious personal issues, but believe it or not, there are plenty of people who don't have time to obsess about washing out a yoghurt pot because they're struggling to keep a roof over their heads and/or have enough to eat.

I wash my work shirt on a wash and dry cycle every work night. Just my shirt, nothing else. Takes an hour. I don’t care.

No. I don't. Honestly, my priority is keeping the house running which means sticking to routines and not getting hung up on optimal energy efficiency.

I'm sorry but what's bigger in your life than the bloody planet you live on?!

Christ what a naive comment. A lot of people don’t have the luxury of choice and are driven by the restrictions of cost only.

I don’t have a water meter but I still watch my use.
If I drink a can of coke while I’m out and about it doesn’t cost me money to throw the aluminium can in the litter bin rather than bring it home and recycle it but I make the (small) effort anyway.

I very rarely manage a full load of washing with only DS and me at home. We have 6 white items between us for example, however I do reduce the time of the wash to accommodate.

I wash my work shirt on a wash and dry cycle every work night. Just my shirt, nothing else. Takes an hour. I don’t care.

Can’t you buy another shirt?!

Yes I am constantly conscious of my actions. Thinking it’s someones else’s problem has got us to where we are today.

I wash my work shirt on a wash and dry cycle every work night. Just my shirt, nothing else.

Don't you have any other laundry you could do? Jeez

Yes I do try. But if she leaves her tap running for her cat then has a go at you about a half load she’s being a raging hypocrite!

I wash my work shirt on a wash and dry cycle every work night. Just my shirt, nothing else. but when do you wash your other clothes? If you wash them syrs afterwards why not do it together this makes no sense!

I mean, you do what you can do. But yes, I do think about it and it does affect my behaviour. For instance, I could have driven to the shop today but I cycled instead. The petrol cost of that journey would be pennies, but cycling is better for me and better for the environment so that’s what I did. Same with turning things off at the wall - it’s a habit I’ve recently got into, and it’s not about money but totally about energy saving.

That said, I do generally do the preschool run by car because it takes too long to cycle and I drive to the gym at least once a week for yoga because it makes me happy. I could do home yoga (and do most other days) but once or twice a week I enjoy a class. So nobody’s perfect.

You just have to try and do what you can do, imo.

I do. I try really hard, and it's not about money. Some options cost a bit more- I wouldn't spend a lot more though.

Mainly I do without.

We've cut down how much meat we eat.
Travel far less.
Don't buy things unless we are sure we can't reuse/recycle someone else's or do without.