Page 5 - CodeWatcher Winter 2017 Issue

Code Warrior Ron Jones, Code Warrior
ron@thegreenbuilder.com
@CodeWarriorRon on Twitter

The Blind Eye

We would like to think that there is a minimum

standard of living that we could all agree on, but the

behavior of people, corporations, and countries

continues to illustrate that smart regulation is needed

to guarantee the highest quality of living for all.T THE END OF THE DAY, what really

defines the quality of life that the vast
majority of Americans have become
accustomed to? I suspect there are many
answers to that question, depending on

A who you ask, but it seems reasonable
where it becomes somebody else’s problem.
And this kind of irresponsibility is not confined only to

individuals.
One of the most charming and beautiful cities in all

of North America, Vancouver, British Columbia, is also
notoriously known for dumping its raw sewage directly into

to assume that there must a baseline, a the Strait of Juan de Fuca on its southern shoreline. How a

minimum standard we can generally agree to. practice like this is allowed to continue in this day and age

We have all heard the disturbing reports of communities seems beyond belief, and yet there are many examples of this

whose water supplies are unsafe to drink, or in some cases type of institutionalized behavior around the world.

not even safe for bathing, as well as the illegal and dangerous It is a sad reality that self-regulation is not going to

diversion of municipal and industrial waste into our provide us with the quality of life we all deserve and that

waterways, estuaries, and landfills. Unfortunately, unless we should all demand. It may be unfortunate, but building

we are being directly affected we tend to see these situations and fire codes, energy conservation codes, environmental

as distant problems that are for someone else to resolve. standards and a variety of other enforceable regulations are

Not long ago I read about certain jurisdictions in rural necessary to assure responsible behavior until individuals,

Alabama where residents are allowed to simply pipe their neighborhoods, communities and entire nations are willing

household sewage onto the ground behind their homes to do whatever must be done, even if only in their own

without any intermediate form of treatment, such as an self-interest. CW

onsite septic system. It may be unfortunate, but building
Besides the obvious health threats and environmental and fire codes, energy conservation

concerns associated with these practices, how can these

occupants ever hope to access mortgages, legitimate codes, environmental standards and
appraisals, and equity growth that will allow them to upgrade a variety of other enforceable
their facilities or move up in the housing market? Yet, I
have known builders who freely admit that if they were not regulations are necessary to assure
actually required to provide sanitary systems and indoor responsible behavior until individuals,
plumbing, they would offer these as options for those clients neighborhoods, communities and
who were not willing to accept more primitive “solutions.”

A simple online search will provide photos of outhouses entire nations are willing to do
suspended over streams, the epitome of selfish behavior whatever must be done, even if
since the waste deposited through this disgusting practice only in their own self-interest.
is simply swept downstream, out of sight and out of mind,

www.codewatcher.us January 2017 / CodeWatcher 5