A Wee Problem

In response to an article about the heat at Chicago, one respondent bloviated with, "You've ruined the planet, now reap the rewards." Well OK then! That little tidbit came on the tail end of one of the financial magazines I read doing a green issue; while they focused on green companies and whether they will make money, they did a piece on how you, the consumer, can save the planet.

Time for a story. I arrive at the Denali National Park visitor center in Alaska, on the brink of being late for my tour. As it's an eight hour tour, I obviously decide to take a wee before hoping on my bus. As I assumed the position in front of one of five urinals, I noticed a sign over the middle one that said "Don't look over here while peeing, or the other guys will think you're looking at their junk." OK, that's not what it said, but it's a strange place to put up a sign in the men's bathroom. The sign stated that I was enjoying a waterless urinal, and that the five in front of me would save something like a gillion gallons of water annually. Maybe not that much, but it was a large enough number to leave an impression. As I stepped away from the non-mechanical contraption, sure enough, no plunger for a flush, no infrared sensor to see my departure; eco-genius!

So since then I've periodically pondered ... "How much water to I waste going to the head each day?" The article in the magazine, in a very vague, not wanting to sound gross kind of way, said that maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't flush the toilet after every time if you just "go number one". Honestly, that's probably not a bad idea. I drink so much tea/diet coke that my urine runs as clear as a mountain stream; I, and most people, could probably forgo a flush or two, and with each installment, save the world about 1.6 gallons of perfectly drinkable water. But whether or not you think that is gross (if I take up the habit, I'll flush before company comes over), I think we can all agree, the time for the waterless urinal is upon us. Pee is liquid, won't it slide down the pipe without a geyser of potable water chasing it along the way?

The answer, is yes, but you're bathroom will smell like pee. For all the details, and how this company gets around that wee (no pun intended) little problem, go to http://www.waterless.com/index.php.

I'll admit that of late, I've tried to be more eco friendly. I recycle (probably does more to create jobs than save the world, but that's ok too), I replaced my burned out bulb with a fluorescent, I only wash in cold water now, and I try to make sure my appliances are only on when I need them (they even sale powerstrips to help with that, http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/12/smart_power_str.php).

So maybe Chicago was our fault. But with something as small as one less flush, you could make a little difference.*

*Caveat - If you don't flush in public, the author with think very bad thoughts about you and your upbringing and likely your mother, even if you didn't know her. Sorry, that's just nasty.