Tag Archive for: conservation

When a Plain-Jane Rain Barrel Simply Won’t Do

in /by

Saving water is stylish now! And a consequence of that is more high-design products with which to stylishly save water! While that DIY-hacked, second-hand barrel you dragged from the dump is still perfectly functional, you should know that it’s so last year. The formerly humble and homely rain barrel is already getting an extreme makeover. The aggressively-named Waterwall Fatboy from Waterwall Rainwater Tanks in the UK is sure to satisfy your very-particular modern design sensibilities. From waterwalltanks.com,

Despite the name, the Waterwall Fatboy tank has an excellent size-to-capacity ratio, holding 650 gallons whilst being just over two feet wide. Waterwall tanks are made to exacting standards – the UV stabilised high density polyethylene ensures light does not enter the tank, to stop algae from growing in your tank water. Solid, thick walls keep the tank strong and prevent bulging over the many years of service.

And did we mention they look good? Next up from the company: a freestanding tank that’s designed and engineered to be used as a boundary fence. How much, you ask? Well of course good design is not cheap. Raindepot.com has the 650 gallon Waterwall Fatboy for $1,189.99. (If you’re style-impaired, the site offers plenty of other plain, but reasonable options.)

Modularity is a well-loved concept in modern design; that’s why the Rainwater HOG offers so many design-y opportunities. The innovative, award-winning modular tank stores a large volume of water in a small footprint, opening possibilities for creative applications in architectural and landscape design…like this installation, where they’re being tucked under a deck, ready to bulge with rainwater bounty while staying completely out of sight.

This commercial installation at Nundah School in Queensland, Australia of features 114 HOGs storing 5,700 gallons of water. These units were custom molded in the school colors of yellow and black, and the harvested water is used primarily for toilet flushing with the excess used for garden irrigation. Extra credit for these Rainwater HOGs, as the school uses them as learning tools in math, science, and environmental  studies.

Are you gazing longingly at the Rainwater HOGs, wondering if they’re budget-friendly? This is exceptional style, people! You can’t even get these at Target yet! You can get them from aquabarrel.com, $1,960 for 6 units. Plus shipping.

You can’t buy “A Drop of Water” at any price, because it is (still?) a prototype. Designed by Bas Van Der Veer, it passes the “good design” test with flying marks while ingeniously providing an integrated watering can that automatically fills as it rains. Grab and go! The smallish size will be ideal for you city-types with small container gardens. )If you’ve ever wondered how “one of a kind” prototypes are created, browse the photos of the process at www.basvanderverr.nl)

Save Water, Pee Outside

in /by

With the recent shower peeing campaign a confirmed success*, what’s the next step? I can’t vouch for it’s veracity or sincerity, but Atlanta-based peeoutside.org is the driving (and I’m guessing, heavily-male) force behind a volunteer effort that they claim can save millions of gallons per day.

However, sustainable water supply will be achieved one wee bit at a time! Plus, consider this:
Number of species on the earth that pee outside: 4,999,999
Number of species on the earth that pee inside: 1

So if you’re ready to sign up, you can join their 1,300-plus member Facebook group or follow them (from a safe distance) on Twitter. Peeoutside.org also invites you to send in your stories and pictures (and a number of people already have!) Finally, be sure forget to mark your calendar for April 19th, the festive annual Pee Outside Day event! (Wow! Jaime Pressly should have claimed she was “going green!”)

peeoutside.org: visit the member-submitted photo gallery

Forget your milquetoast manners, we’re trying to save the planet here! The website’s FAQ will help you overcome your reticence about this this frowned-upon (and usually illegal) behavior.

Q. Are you suggesting that people expose themselves in public?
No. Just so we are clear, the suggestion is that people pee on their own property, in a private setting, preferably under the cover of night.  Apartment and condo owners probably shouldn’t pee over ledges.  Just be sure to use your head when peeing outside.

Q. I would rather not pee outside–what are some options?
We understand that some people just don’t like peeing outside, but every little bit helps! Some approved methods are:
– Pee in a cup/bottle and dispose of it outside.
– Pee down a drain of your choice
– Pee in the shower, only if you are doing something else at the same time.
– Use the old “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down” method.
– Or, just don’t flush every pee.

*In the unscientific but esteemed weekly Aguanomics poll, 3 out of 4 admit to shower-pee water conservation methods.

Withhold Water from Simpleminded Sod

in , , /by

Grass is dumb, so don’t waste too much water on it—it’s too stupid to notice! There’s an oddly malevolent outcome in this offbeat spot from the creative-minded conservationists at Denver Water.

Save Water, Pee in the Shower

in , /by

Why, it’s not such a repulsive idea really! After all, the toilet and shower drain to the exact same place, and if you’re healthy your urine is sterile. Remember that just one less flush per day could save you in excess of 1,000 gallons of water per year!

Environmental group SOS Mata Atlântica is advancing the idea among Brazilians with a charming PeeSA spot that features people big and small, young and old, human, alien and animal, doing their business while doing their personal hygiene routine. Cute! (But please, don’t follow this up with a yellow-mellow, brown-down public service campaign!)

Via discoblog on discovermagazine.com

Under the Hood of my Ugly ’80s Toilet

in , /by

Hey, they don’t make ’em like this anymore! Thank heavens! This is my hideous 1980s-vintage gold toilet. For a variety of reasons, I’m not in a position to get rid of the 3.5-gallon flusher just now. I have, however, modded it “under the hood” to use less water. (I don’t know the total amount of water these add-ons save; does anyone know how I would determine this?)

Anyway…first, I’ve replaced the constantly-kinking flush chain with a piece of rubbery cord that I pulled off of a retail pants hangers. Try this freebie hack if, like me, you get leaking water due to the flapper not seating firmly when the chain tangles. (Look for a hanger like this one.)

Next: see that blue thing attached to the fill tube? This is a clever little device that saves water by equalizing the bowl/tank fill rate. Most toilet bowls are finished filling long before the tank is full. While the fill valve continues filling the tank, it also continues overfilling the bowl, and the excess bowl water goes over the siphon trap and down the drain, wasted. With this adjustable gizmo the tank and bowl both finish filling at exactly the same time. (I got mine from eBay, but here’s a similar one.)

Next…Julie O’Fee, a friend from the UK, sent me a Thames Water giveaway Save-a-Flush which saves up to one litre per flush, according to their website. It’s a bag of crystals made from a harmless silicone gel. Once you place it into your “cistern” within hours it swells up firmly against the sides of the tank.

With a little more room in the tank, I added the 20 oz. glass; it just sits there in the tank and when it’s flushed the water stays in the glass and the whole deal displaces that additional amount of water.

So this will suffice as I continue to dream of my future Euro-styled dual flush. Now if only I could do something about the color…