With spiraling energy costs and record inflation putting considerable strain on Dutch families, the government increasingly encourages citizens to change their habits and seek ways to save on basic necessities. Earlier this month, the authorities launched a campaign urging people to turn down their central heating and take shorter showers in order to save power. “Our energy bills are rising, we need to become less dependent on gas from Russia, and we want to fight climate change,” the government said in an appeal.
The Hague took the lead in the matter, announcing that it will turn down the temperature in 200 of its office buildings from 21 to 19 degrees in the winter and use air conditioning less frequently in the summer.
Last month, the Drenthe provincial authorities launched their own campaign to save gas and thousands of litres of water every year by telling people to take shorter showers. The province started handing out free timers to residents in a bid to encourage them to cut their shower times to a manageable level.
But some people want more drastic measures. RTV Noord’s Lopend Vuur show poses a question that the audience can respond to online or discuss on social media: should we, perhaps, shower less frequently than we used to? The poll on the broadcaster’s page shows that the vast majority of the audience thinks we should – as of this writing, over three quarters of respondents agree we should be bolder in forgoing the early morning ritual we’ve come to think of as part and parcel of personal hygiene.
We would welcome your opinion on the issue: you can vote to let us know what you think about the proposed measure in the following poll:
[Total_Soft_Poll id=”1″]
