Have you ever arrived at a restaurant before the rest of your party? You sit at a table, alone except for empty chairs with menus splayed out in front of them. The server comes up and asks if you’d like something to drink while you wait. You squint at the empty chairs, count on your fingers and order a glass of water – for everyone.
Stop right there.
You might think that you’re being polite by saving your server a trip, or that it’s simply nice of you to have glasses of water waiting for the rest of your party. However, if you live in one of many states, including Colorado, that’s currently experiencing a stage 2 severe drought, your reckless ordering of water could be bad for the environment. You should be aware that your request may be met with a polite refusal by your server to bring waters until the absent members of your party actually order them. Arbitrary glasses of water that are left, full, on tables after a meal, are unceremoniously dumped down a drain by servers or bussers. These full glasses add up quickly to gallons and gallons of water every night. Many restaurants have begun participating in drought prevention measures like
- Bringing water with meals only by request – not automatically
- Bringing water only for present parties who have ordered it
- Refusing to leave full pitchers of water on tables
- Asking instead of automatically refilling glasses of water
While some restaurants may have signs up on their premises explaining their water conservation measures, individual servers may take it upon themselves to act conscientiously. If your server mentions restrictions on serving water because of a drought, please be understanding. This may be particularly important to keep in mind if you’re visiting or traveling to places in the country that may be affected by drought. Travelers may have to make concessions in order to respect the environment that they’re visiting.
A stage 2 drought may also entail mandated watering restrictions. These measures are in place because municipalities are planning ahead for possible drought conditions in the future. The current US drought monitor shows that over 20 US states are affected by at least a moderate drought at this time.
Please feel free to comment below to share other ways that your family conserves water during a drought.