On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams and New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection declared the city’s first drought warning in 22 years. This autumn’s severe dry conditions and recent brush fires drove Mayor Adams to elevate November 2nd’s drought watch into a more urgent drought warning. New York’s citizens are being urged to conserve water in a multitude of ways, including small day-to-day efforts like limiting running water while washing dishes. The Columbia community, however, has committed to going above and beyond—following Monday’s announcement, swaths of Columbia students have vowed to continue never showering.
“At a time like this, it’s great to see people come together and look out for one another,” said Phil Theefellow (SEAS ‘26), a leader of the on-campus movement. “The least we could do is change nothing about our personal habits and continue to forgo bathing altogether.”
When Theefellow heard the news that NYC was under a drought warning, he took the initiative to reach out to his classmates to ensure that everyone one of them would personally commit to still not showering ever. “It’s a lot to ask of your friends and classmates, but I was surprised by how many of them were willing to step up and keep on avoiding showering. It was really inspiring.” As of date, over 5,000 Columbia students who already weren’t showering regularly signed a pact to keep on doing that.
Theefellow and his classmates’ efforts have inspired other students to extend their commitments further, promising to continue to not wash their hands, not brush their teeth, and never drink water.
