It seems to me the real issue is reducing water consumption, not necessarily the frequency of performing hygienic tasks.
One simple option is to shower (or wash dishes) with the mindset of someone with limited fresh water reserves. As they say in the Navy, "time to give up the "Hollywood style" luxury shower." Instead, turn water on briefly to get wet, turn off while lathering, turn on for brief rinse. I found this to be a very effective technique when living in Mexico's high dessert where pure water is in very short supply and thus very expensive. My family also found the technique works well when camping; many campers use a "solar heated water cube" which usually holds only a gallon of water. Kids learn the value of water very quickly when you make them fetch 'n carry the fresh water supply from pump , or they have to wait for water to cycle through a filter before it is potable! Another tactic is to rethink the volume of water American toilets use. Anyone who has traveled internationally has seen that in many countries (even other Western countries) one deposits tissue in waste cans rather than using several gallons of water to flush. Dual flush toilets are increasingly available for those doing new construction or remodeling as are low volume flush toilet models. I have not done an ROI model on replacement costs, but am confident updating your existing fixture is worth the hassle. On 2/27/08, Simon St.Laurent <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Another option, which may not reduce bathing but might reduce water > usage, is to collect your shower/bathwater in the tub and use a bucket > to grab it for flushing toilets. > > My sink also has an access port on the bottom of the U-trap, and > sometimes we put a bucket under there to capture water going through. > > It's super-simple greywater use, and not always convenient, but we think > it helps. > > Thanks, > Simon St.Laurent > http://livingindryden.org/ > _______________________________________________ > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > _______________________________________________ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
