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In the Shower? Really?

….Friday

I have a thing about saving water.

It comes from living with country wells–deep country, when there wasn’t any water to truck in (and where the outhouse got as much use as the toilet)–during a drought period. It comes from camping. It comes from now living in the desert. It comes from being a participant in the very first Earth Day, and my impressionable self being…

Well. Impressed.

Just a whole lotta experience where you don’t take water for granted, even when you’re not being charged by the gallon to use it.

Which doesn’t mean I don’t love and depend on my water, however it’s provided, or that I’m always truly prepared for an outage.

(At the moment, I’m on a community well system that serves fifty people and seems to be teetering on the brink of…something. Let’s just say my thoughts are drifting back toward “really being prepared.” A lesson rammed home as the water system went down in coldest winter the weekend after we moved, when we were, I can unequivocally say, not prepared in the least.)

Down the Drain!

Anyway. To the shower. Recently I became aware of a particular suggestion to save water. One flush per person per day…boy, does that add up fast.

Yeah. Use the shower.

I mean, you’re there, right? And it goes down the same pipes, right? And shoot, you don’t even have to mess with your pants.

No problem at all, I guess…if you haven’t spent all but the first couple years of your life being toilet-trained. (Or, for some of us who’ve been on too many trail rides, bush- and tree-trained. Now that I’m out here in the southwest, I’ve worked very hard to avoid being cactus-trained. For some reason.)

Maybe a decade from now, as conservation becomes more habitual for us all, this will be second nature. I think for now, I’ll just flush a little less often…

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This entry was posted on Friday, April 30th, 2010 at 04:00 and is filed under Miscellaneous!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

  • Elizabeth

    I’m sure you know the relevant rhyme so I won’t repeat it, but yeah–I skip the occasional flush when a teaspoonful doesn’t even tint the water. Though I do that more when it’s been raining cats and dogs and the septic tank would rather not have more, thanks. But also in severe water rationing, yes.

    In the shower–no. You’d need extra water to wash it down, right? And besides, it might not suit the moment.

    Out on the land–if I’m a half mile from home, it means I’m down in the creek woods or over on the west side, far from houses and plumbing and with ample cover. Sometimes I don’t want to hike back–I’m working and want to keep working. Camping background. Dig, add a liquid nitrogen to the soil, cover. Watching carefully for those abominable little baby cacti, of course. And greenbrier. And poison ivy.

  • http://www.doranna.net Doranna

    That particular rhyme has been on my mind this week, yup! ;>

    I think the point about the shower is that it *isn’t* using extra water. Do it when you get in there, and the water of the shower takes care of it all, doing double-duty. A general “aim at the drain” philosophy seems to be necessary.

  • Kimberley Coover

    Well I follow the old rhyme, have been for the last 15 yrs (children tend to flush after 1 drop of tinkle) so we started the programs when they could understand the concept. We recently bought a water saver toilet – lots of flush power with 1/3 the water usage. I have to say I was amazed at the effectiveness of this new toilet. Fast and clean! (Tell I have entered middle age – a toilet makes me happy!) LOL

  • http://www.doranna.net Doranna

    Kimberly–I have to laugh. When we moved into this place, we picked out new toilets and I have been so pleased by them. Flush plus low water usage! Totally worth all that time in the home store staring at toilets!