I just read an article by Paige Doughty on CommonDreams.org (http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0223-28.htm), called "To Flush or not to Flush? Battling the Social Stigmas of Environmental Action in the City." Paige sometimes feels embarrassed by her earth friendly habits, including bike commuting to work and not flushing the toilet every time she uses it. Here's an excerpt from the beginning or the story:
When I reach the top of the hill my back is slick with sweat and my head is so hot that my cheeks will be red for an hour. I am sweating and freezing at the same time.
In the bathroom of my workplace I strip off my clothes. There are no shower facilities, but I have packed a towel to pat the sweat from my torso. In the mirror I see that my hair is a helmet shaped bowl and that my ear warming head band has left a line across the middle of my forehead.
I laugh at my reflection and wave air under my armpits one last time; this is not exactly how I pictured myself on the first day of work, but at least I made it up that hill alive.
It is a wonderful and trying thing to understand that the actions you take in your daily life make a difference.
"You rode your bike?" A co-worker exclaims when she sees the helmet in my hands. "you're crazy!" I smile and nod, yes, perhaps a little. But as I was passing the lines of cars stuck in traffic on Concord Avenue , I have to admit I smirked.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And here is Paige's conclusion:
In the face of global warming, and all the dire predictions that go along with it these actions may seem small. Believe me there are plenty of days when I would like to swallow the "my actions are insignificant, I am only one person" argument. Getting in a car and driving to work would be much easier than loading myself down with cold weather gear, a change of clothes, coffee mug, and everything else I need for the day, but when I stop and ponder the decision for a moment, I k now what choice I will make.
Individual actions are one of the best ways we have to make immediate change. Change at the legislative level takes too much time and even if there is a miracle in Washington, and the government suddenly passes radical legislation on the environment, all the habits of daily life will still be calling us to act in socially acceptable and environmentally destructive ways. So, for a more sustainable future for all: Dare to be different. Don't flush.
Published on Friday, February 23, 2007 by CommonDreams.org
To Flush or not to Flush? Battling the Social Stigmas of Environmental Action in the City
by Paige Doughty (http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0223-28.htm)
deputyjones
02-27-07, 09:51 PM
Can't say I am embarassed at all at my cycling, but I have learned to run to the bathroom and flush the toilet when company arrives :D
bragi
02-27-07, 10:11 PM
This is kind of encouraging, actually. Sometimes I do feel that my lonely car-free gesture is a futile one, not to mention a freezing cold pain in the a**, and my friends' irritating helpful condescension towards my so-called eccentricity isn't very helpful, either. ("Why don't you just buy a Prius?") It's nice to be reminded that others have made some of the same choices I have.
Cosmoline
02-28-07, 01:04 AM
I'm not ashamed of my body, but the building manager is a real reactionary.
Dahon.Steve
02-28-07, 05:28 AM
She should just leave the helmet attached to the bicycle and buy baby wipes instead of just using nothing for her arm pits. Better yet, bring a speed stick for women.
ellenDSD
02-28-07, 06:13 AM
[I]I just read an article by Paige Doughty on CommonDreams.org, called "To Flush or not to Flush? Battling the Social Stigmas of Environmental Action in the City."
Hooray for Paige. I also believe that change begins with the individual. I live car-light, bike or walk to work, don't flush the toilet after every use, have never owned a clothes dryer, keep thermostat at a minimum... It's encouraging to know that the entire population has not gone mad. In a recent letter to the editor in the Denver Post the writer complained that she didn't know what to do about global warming because the government had not issued any instructions - very, very sad!
deputyjones
02-28-07, 04:08 PM
Hooray for Paige. I also believe that change begins with the individual. I live car-light, bike or walk to work, don't flush the toilet after every use, have never owned a clothes dryer, keep thermostat at a minimum... It's encouraging to know that the entire population has not gone mad. In a recent letter to the editor in the Denver Post the writer complained that she didn't know what to do about global warming because the government had not issued any instructions - very, very sad!
The dryer thing is something I noticed when I was in the Netherlands. Not many people have them there. During the colder months it certainly requires some forethought (especially with a habitual jeans wearer), but it can be done. I didn't use a dryer for the 10 days I was there, but washed clothes almost every day. Good example of challenging conventional wisdom. Most people would have no idea what to do (other than drive their SUV to the laundromat) if you took away their dryer.
Pretty sad about the Denver Post writer. I guess the government hasn't provided her instructions on how to google search yet either.
Spaceman Spiff
02-28-07, 04:58 PM
Why doesn't someone just build a toilet that has two flush handles? A normal flush for when you take a dump, and a light flush that uses much less water for when you take a leak?
deputyjones
02-28-07, 05:53 PM
Why doesn't someone just build a toilet that has two flush handles? A normal flush for when you take a dump, and a light flush that uses much less water for when you take a leak?
Actually, they had those in the Netherlands too. All "modern" tiolets were designed in this way.
LandLuger
02-28-07, 06:01 PM
The dryer thing is something I noticed when I was in the Netherlands. Not many people have them there. During the colder months it certainly requires some forethought (especially with a habitual jeans wearer), but it can be done. I didn't use a dryer for the 10 days I was there, but washed clothes almost every day. Good example of challenging conventional wisdom. Most people would have no idea what to do (other than drive their SUV to the laundromat) if you took away their dryer.
Pretty sad about the Denver Post writer. I guess the government hasn't provided her instructions on how to google search yet either.
The "doing without a dryer in the winter idea" with a family of five was a bit challenging as it took literally days to dry clothes that were simply hung up inside. When I acquired the EPA certified woodstove to heat the home all that changed. Clothes are now bone dry in hours when hung up in the far end of the room opposite the stove. Nowadays the dryer sits mostly unused.
LandLuger
02-28-07, 06:09 PM
Why doesn't someone just build a toilet that has two flush handles? A normal flush for when you take a dump, and a light flush that uses much less water for when you take a leak?
I installed a Caroma in my son's bathroom last year. A water efficient toilet that actually works; who would have guessed such an animal existed.
http://www.caroma.com.au/index.html
bragi
02-28-07, 10:01 PM
I know this is almost off-thread, but are dryers that bad? I use a dryer all the time, and my monthly electric bills are only about $22. I'd like to think that level of energy use entitles me to have dry jeans on demand.
deputyjones
02-28-07, 10:24 PM
I know this is almost off-thread, but are dryers that bad? I use a dryer all the time, and my monthly electric bills are only about $22. I'd like to think that level of energy use entitles me to have dry jeans on demand.
Here is a list of typical appliance energy usage:
http://www.city.ames.ia.us/ElectricWeb/energyguy/appliances.htm
Same range as a refrigerator which is pretty significant, but to each his own.
Good call with the wood stove BTW LL. I might look into that in my new house. Did you buy the caroma in the US? Looked like it was only available in Australia from their website.
donrhummy
02-28-07, 11:28 PM
Actually, they had those in the Netherlands too. All "modern" tiolets were designed in this way.
What if instead the toilet (and faucet) distilled the water and then reused it? You'd probably only need 5-10% of the water you need now (since it's ulikely to retain 100%, although your urine adds some water to the mix). Would you be afraid of showering with that water? Cleaning dishes?
LandLuger
03-01-07, 12:48 AM
Here is a list of typical appliance energy usage:
http://www.city.ames.ia.us/ElectricWeb/energyguy/appliances.htm
Same range as a refrigerator which is pretty significant, but to each his own.
Good call with the wood stove BTW LL. I might look into that in my new house. Did you buy the caroma in the US? Looked like it was only available in Australia from their website.
Yes. I can't remember the supplier offhand, but if your serious I could go through my receipts and email you. The toilet is wonderful and uses .75 gallons a flush when you push the small button and 1.5 when you hit the large button. Even more important it gets the job done.
makeinu
03-01-07, 12:59 AM
What if instead the toilet (and faucet) distilled the water and then reused it? You'd probably only need 5-10% of the water you need now (since it's ulikely to retain 100%, although your urine adds some water to the mix). Would you be afraid of showering with that water? Cleaning dishes?
Better yet? Why not just install big pipes underground to take all the water to a central location where it can be distilled and then released back to nature? :eek:
Honestly, I don't understand why people try to conserve water. It can be purified easily enough and, unlike air, it doesn't sneak its way into your lungs involuntarily.
Juha
03-01-07, 02:22 AM
Water efficient toilets are the norm around here. Earlier I seem to remember some people filled a 1,5l soda bottle with water and put it in the flush tank. And it's becoming increasingly typical to install automatic faucets in commercial establishments (faucets turn on and off automatically, manufacturers claim a 50% reduction in water consumption). The idea being that conserving water is more efficient than purification.
--J
wahoonc
03-01-07, 03:55 AM
Better yet? Why not just install big pipes underground to take all the water to a central location where it can be distilled and then released back to nature? :eek:
Honestly, I don't understand why people try to conserve water. It can be purified easily enough and, unlike air, it doesn't sneak its way into your lungs involuntarily.
Several reasons...it costs money to process water and uses harmful chemicals. Another is water that is in process (in pipes, treatment tanks, or water towers, etc) is water that is not available in the environment. Take a look at the Colorado River basin issues. The deserts of Egypt used to be a fertile green valley until they over used the water in it. (other issues involved but that was a main one)
I used to have a house with a gray water system in it. Waste water from the shower, washer and sinks was used to flush toilets and water the gardens, it was outlawed and I was made to disassemble it. We currently use under the minimum on our water bill every month. I bought the most water miserly washing machine I could find, we normally only take showers. Wash dishes by hand (that one is debatable) and don't water the grass. My gardens are square foot gardens which require minimal watering compared to a normal row garden.
Aaron:)
cerewa
03-01-07, 06:07 AM
I use a dryer all the time, and my monthly electric bills are only about $22.
Honestly, my first thought was that you have a natural-gas dryer. But maybe not.
gerv
03-01-07, 06:17 AM
I know this is almost off-thread, but are dryers that bad? I use a dryer all the time, and my monthly electric bills are only about $22. I'd like to think that level of energy use entitles me to have dry jeans on demand.
I regularly hang up my clothes to dry. In winter, this provides some extra humidity in the house so I don't need to buy a humidifier. In summer, the jeans will dry almost as quickly outdoors as in the dryer. Only problem is when a squirrel deposits a payload, but this is a fairly rare event.
makeinu
03-01-07, 06:36 AM
Several reasons...it costs money to process water and uses harmful chemicals. Another is water that is in process (in pipes, treatment tanks, or water towers, etc) is water that is not available in the environment. Take a look at the Colorado River basin issues. The deserts of Egypt used to be a fertile green valley until they over used the water in it. (other issues involved but that was a main one)
If the water can't be processed to satisfaction at treatment facilities then how could it possibly be processed to satisfaction at home using green methods? On the other hand, if the water can be processed for recycling using green methods at home, then why not implement the same techniques at the plants?
If it's good enough for me to shower and wash dishes then it's good enough for nature. After all, apart from romanticism, the only reason to care about clean water in nature is because that water may eventually find its way into personal usage (directly or indirectly).
Also, what's so bad about deserts? I find Arizona to be quite nice.
I am concerned about keeping very toxic chemicals out of the world's rivers/oceans/etc. I am not concerned about biological wastes returning to nature.
deputyjones
03-01-07, 07:04 AM
Yes. I can't remember the supplier offhand, but if your serious I could go through my receipts and email you. The toilet is wonderful and uses .75 gallons a flush when you push the small button and 1.5 when you hit the large button. Even more important it gets the job done.
Yeah, no rush, but whenever you get a chance I would appreciate it. I am interested and know some other folks who would be as well. I have 2 brothers-in-law from the Netherlands who would probably consider buying one.
Thanks.
ellenDSD
03-01-07, 10:12 AM
Sorry and thanks gwd :)
No worries and thank you! :)
This thread is becoming more interesting all the time. I especially appreciate the links re: electrical usage and the toilets.
I'm pretty new to all this "green" stuff, and learning more every day, but it is so amazing how simple changes in the way one does things can make such profound differences.
Roody
03-01-07, 05:09 PM
Several reasons...it costs money to process water and uses harmful chemicals. Another is water that is in process (in pipes, treatment tanks, or water towers, etc) is water that is not available in the environment. Take a look at the Colorado River basin issues. The deserts of Egypt used to be a fertile green valley until they over used the water in it. (other issues involved but that was a main one)
Aaron:)
Another reason is that the natural hydro cycles are disrupted. Here, for example, we pump drinking water out of aquifers and dump treated wastewater back into rivers. this depletes the aquifers, and one result is that they are more vulnerable to taking on toxins.
gerv
03-04-07, 08:43 AM
Another reason is that the natural hydro cycles are disrupted. Here, for example, we pump drinking water out of aquifers and dump treated wastewater back into rivers. this depletes the aquifers, and one result is that they are more vulnerable to taking on toxins.
BF has quite a few posts on the topic of Peak Oil, but there's an equally important concept of Peak Water going on. We've been living for a long while with cheap water... it's essentially built the so-called Green Revolution. However, the big question is whether our water resources will survive.
slagjumper
03-04-07, 08:14 PM
While traveling between the red and blue areas I came to a rest stop in South Carolina. My wife told me that I had to take a look in the lady's room. After she made sure no one was there, I entered the woman's rest room. She said, "watch this" and she opened a small door on the wall. Inside was the red hot roaring flame of a tampon furnace! I've never seen one before or since.
In PA I dont so much fell guilty about flushing, since we are expected to get more rainfall thanks to global warming.
ellenDSD
03-05-07, 08:17 AM
While traveling between the red and blue areas I came to a rest stop in South Carolina. My wife told me that I had to take a look in the lady's room. After she made sure no one was there, I entered the woman's rest room. She said, "watch this" and she opened a small door on the wall. Inside was the red hot roaring flame of a tampon furnace! I've never seen one before or since.
In PA I dont so much fell guilty about flushing, since we are expected to get more rainfall thanks to global warming.
Welcome to the South :) See, for entertainment, we like to drink lots of beer (domestic) and blow things up. That's why you see lots of big stores (I'm talking grocery store size) selling fireworks. The tampon furnace thingie just gives us a way to celebrate an everyday thing, ya know like living in the moment or adding spirituality to your everyday life - you get the concept. The mini furnaces used to make a big BOOM sound when the tampon was fully incinerated but they had to remove that feature because it was freaking out the Yankees traveling past.
jamesdenver
03-05-07, 10:31 AM
Not embarrassed in the least. I don't feel the need to answer to co-workers or strangers on the reasons on how I live my personal life.
But should I need a snappy comeback of sorts I can always refer to my abs and/or disposable income.
chephy
03-05-07, 11:01 AM
In the face of global warming, and all the dire predictions that go along with it these actions may seem small. Believe me there are plenty of days when I would like to swallow the "my actions are insignificant, I am only one person" argument. Getting in a car and driving to work would be much easier than loading myself down with cold weather gear, a change of clothes, coffee mug, and everything else I need for the day, but when I stop and ponder the decision for a moment, I k now what choice I will make. Gosh darned! The girl's got my admiration... but I feel some pity for her too. It sounds as if she didn't like to ride her bike! What a shame! :eek: :D
I laugh at my reflection and wave air under my armpits one last time; this is not exactly how I pictured myself on the first day of work, but at least I made it up that hill alive. I'd be embarassed too. Not for bike-commuting to work but for not preparing for the first day of work. Bike commuting needn't leave you messy and sweaty for the rest of the day. Work out some simple logistics and smell like roses, girl! The implication that Earth-friendly actions must be accompanied by great suffering and unbearable stench of unwashed bodies (and awful things rotting in the toilet bowl) is not helping the cause. Bike commuting can be exhilirating and fun and clean if you figure out how to do it right. There is no need to present yourself as a martyr selflessly giving up the pleasures of car driving for the embarassing, exhausting and unpleasant bike riding. It's not a great sacrifice. It's actually something that enriches your life and has a side benefit of being a greener mode of transportation.
slagjumper
03-06-07, 02:25 PM
Welcome to the South :) See, for entertainment, we like to drink lots of beer (domestic) and blow things up. That's why you see lots of big stores (I'm talking grocery store size) selling fireworks. The tampon furnace thingie just gives us a way to celebrate an everyday thing, ya know like living in the moment or adding spirituality to your everyday life - you get the concept. The mini furnaces used to make a big BOOM sound when the tampon was fully incinerated but they had to remove that feature because it was freaking out the Yankees traveling past.
Cool, I thought that they where running a bbq rib joint around back! I bet the plummers are bummed out though.
brad06ag
03-06-07, 02:47 PM
The deserts of Egypt used to be a fertile green valley until they over used the water in it. (other issues involved but that was a main one)
EDIT: Egypt has always been in a desert(not always, but much of human history), The Nile River valley was once a fertile green valley.
This couldn't have anything to do with the interruption of the flood cycles due to daming the nile could it? (hint: it does). The nile used to flood and during the floods silt would be deposited on the river banks making them fertile soils instead of sand. Dams have stopped these floods to control the river (read that as not allowing the river to wipe out everything on its banks during yearly floods). So without yearly floods, there is no sediment deposited, thus no fertile soils to be green. Not much grows in sand due to the sand having a poor capacity to hold water. Sand is a great growth medium, with the exception that it require extremely high water usage (not large doses of water, but small increments of water everyday or multiple times a day according to infiltration rate and evaporative transpiration). So basically, it's not the lack of water, its the lack of sediments deposited