19/02/2025

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Is Society Going Overboard With Nonsensical Ways to Save the Environment and Reduce Waste?

Is Society Going Overboard With Nonsensical Ways to Save the Environment and Reduce Waste?

We’ve all heard the saying; “Pennywise Pound Foolish,” and yet, so often we don’t consider the philosophical significance of it. Nor, do we realize the endless ways to apply this wisdom-filled phrase. Let’s talk about a few examples where we could really use this famous quote, ways that, in the end, might help us save time and money, and create better safety protocols in the process.

I’d like to put my example in a business context. I’d like to discuss how bathroom tissue is becoming too thin and too narrow. Every business person wants to save costs wherever they can. Each dollar saved is a dollar earned right? Sure it is, however when we buy inadequate equipment that breaks down, we will inevitably lose sales from downtime, and upset our loyal customers in the process. Thus, it makes sense to spend a little more to buy robust equipment that can handle the workload day in and day out.

Now then, when it comes to bathroom tissue, using the cheapest tissue might save money, but it upsets customers who use the restroom as it leads to their fingers poking through thus, getting e.Coli bacteria on their hands and in their finger nails. Same with employees who may be preparing food, and yes, employees are told to carefully wash their hands, but you have to ask yourself; how many actually do properly wash their hands. How many may not even do it at all, even though it is the law? Seriously, think about that for a moment?

If your restaurant causes patrons to become sick, your reputation is sunk. If many people get sick, you may be on the news, think about all the hard work that’s now gone, and how your reputation will become tarnished. How long will it take for people to forget about that one-time health problem you had, which was reported in the local newspaper, and/or local cable TV news? Remember bad news spreads faster than good news, let’s not forget that.

Did you know when you use very thin toilet paper in your establishment’s bathroom some people merely double it up before using? This means they are actually using twice as much, sometimes three and four times as much as anticipated. How did you actually save money? You didn’t in that case. In the other case, you might have temporarily saved money but you also increased your chances of spreading bacteria by 1000{7a91aedbb34ebc851819fd6521dffcfe6a47a2ef283d742fb64b681c8e26aeda}. Neither is a positive outcome.

Can you see how you not only didn’t save the environment you didn’t save any money either? I’d like to use this as an example being pennywise and pound foolish.