Why did the young girl stop turning off the lights in her house?

Knowing the proportion of electricity usage is important. I used to turn off every room of my house when I was young, and one day I stopped after knowing that turning on and off the switch uses more electricity than leaving it on for some time. Knowing the ‘why’ of my actions is crucial to keeping the lifestyle.

The feeling that I felt as a child who turned off every light in every room came alive again. The feeling that I am making a positive movement for the environment makes me proud of myself a lot.

One of my three strategies was taking a cold shower every two days. I could take a warm shower after the day of the cold shower. Since I knew that the temperature of water mainly decides how much energy I consume, I focused more on this strategy than the others. At the same time, I started to enjoy taking a cold shower for two reasons. The first was the feeling of survival. It felt like a quest of the day and after a quick cold shower, I felt focused and alive. It gave me mental strength. The second was the feeling of contribution. Knowing that I am saving 3kWh per day through this little sacrifice increased self-efficacy, surprisingly. The little girl’s disappointment was replaced with the exact knowledge and meaningful movement.

For the two reasons, I continued to take a cold shower so far except one day I had to do so in the early morning. Therefore, I have kept my energy consumption around 4 kWh every day. To change lifestyle must be sustainable and be accompanied by correct reasons of daily choices!