The Sprinkler Paradox

This morning before I got on the plane, I noticed that my sprinklers were not working. I quickly discovered the cause and started them on a cycle to help ensure my lawn stays somewhat green. This got me thinking about "The Sprinkler Paradox."

When I was studying Electrical Engineering in college, I had to take a microprocessor design class. One of the major areas of study was on performance. We looked at how long it took to execute all of the basic steps in any computer or microprocessor. Then we would look at how to speed them up. The first step was to identify the single process that took the longest and optimize it. While it may be obvious how to take a few milliseconds off execution time in a short section, if there are significantly slower ones, it won't make much of a difference. I had a hard time grasping that concept because I thought any speed-up was good. Then I did the math for the performance equations and realized how futile it was to concentrate on short execution steps and how important it was to concentrate on the longer ones.

This brings me to the Sprinkler Paradox. It seems that everyone is concerned about water conservation and so it is common practice of not letting the water run while brushing teeth. Instead you should only turn on the water to rinse your toothbrush or mouth. However, the water used while brushing your teeth pales in comparison to the amount of water used to water your lawn. Thus if you really want to make an environmental impact, you should be less concerned with the water you use brushing your teeth, rip out your lawn, and put cacti in your front yard. Oh and while you are at it, don't let the water run when you brush your teeth. That is the "Sprinkler Paradox."

Another example of the Sprinkler Paradox has to do with cell phone chargers. Recently energy companies have asked everyone to unplug their cell phone chargers when not in use. The idea is that there will be huge energy savings throughout the country. Never mind that some electrical meters spin faster than a buzz saw when an air conditioner is running and more energy can be saved simply by turning up the thermostat a degree or two.

While we all have good intentions to be green and conserve water or energy, let's do all we can and not just make token efforts. Not letting the water run while you brush your teeth is a good start, but it doesn't mean a thing if you're over watering your lawn.