Reading about washing machines new water & energy efficient models, you start thinking whether the shirts with the tomato sauce will have a second life just putting them inside your new energy efficient and cheap washing machine or that wont be enough. Basically would mean that decreasing energy and decreasing water put into the process of washing, will (at a certain point) decrease quality of the cleaning of your clothes...(got to Mr. Tabarrok blog, an economics university professor, to know more on this point). I think it is a very interesting point, cleary linked with behavioural economics, if such a thing exists...For me, it is clear athat the (economical) gap between consuming less (electricity & water) and paying more for the best in class appliances should be strongly bridged with financial incentives to consumers and manufacturers. Let's hope the Expo Zaragoza 2008 and the activities sponsored by the Zaragoza city council linked to Water & sustainable development are able to tackle this issues of behavioural economics (for the Expo Forums) and simply economics ie. nice financial incentives for consumers (for the Zaragoza city council).
