I was in primary school three decades ago when my teacher stood in front of the class and said, “we live in the driest (inhabited) continent on earth”.

Did no one else know? Why are we not world leaders in water saving innovation, invention and technology? 

On a recent visit to Sweden, my sister tells me that in nearly every shower she saw, the mixer device was set to the desired temperature and a lever on the shower hose had to be manually held on. When released, the water stopped flowing.  Two simple ideas rolled into one clever water and power saving device - from Scandinavia.

How much water and power do we waste not only standing under the shower in the first place, but also, in households with “old fashioned” taps, adjusting the water temperature each time we turn it on? Perhaps the smaller showerhead we are being encouraged to adopt is just not a big enough step for our dire circumstances here in the already driest inhabited continent on earth.

Our government is now hoping, admirably, to lead the world in a change of economic values and behaviour to ensure a safer and fairer global economic future. But I am surely not alone in feeling that we as individuals, with courageous leadership from our government, could and should be doing much more in this environmental crisis.

M H Ridgway

South Yarra VIC