Saving water in Spain

MINISTER Miguel Arias Cañete has recommended people shower with cold water.

The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment, said that before he was put in charge of this department, he “wasted a lot of water.”

“Now I am in charge of water in Spain” he said, “I prefer to take a cold shower rather than using half a litre more.” He said that while waiting for the water to heat up, a lot is wasted.

These declarations came during the Forum Europa, where the European Climate Action Commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, said that she wasn’t willing to give up her hot showers.

She disagreed with Arias Cañete and said that “to be more energy efficient, we just have to think more carefully about what we do every day.”

His statements, she said, make society think that saving energy means having a boring life where nothing is allowed, and that a “responsible and sustainable life is more interesting.”

However, Arias Cañete did encourage people to carry out actions every day to help reduce energy use.

Hedegaard was in Madrid to present an EU initiative which seeks creative and innovative environmental projects in order to efficiently deal with climate change.