You want what?.....a urinal?
It’s hardly a trend, more like a trickle …or a dribble; but increasingly North American men are installing urinals in their homes. Now, they are not gracing the main bathroom or the ensuite where (god forbid) women might be exposed to that most male of fixtures. But they are appearing in workshops, games rooms, man-caves and home offices. How does this affect the environment-my area of interest? Well, a urinal flush can be set at 2 liters vs. 6 liters (.8 gallons) for a low flush toilette and 18 liters (3.5 gallons) for a regular toilette. But I suspect that the motivation to install a urinal has little to do with the environment and more to do with the . PS Since I now am responsible for toilete cleaning in our home I "get it" about putting the seat down.inconvenience and nagging associated with lifting and lowering of the infamous toilette seat; or in the case of Jack Nicholson in “About Schmitt” having to pee sitting down-emasculation at its most heinous. But regardless of the motivation, installation of urinals could be beneficial
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), toilets in the home use 2.1 trillion gallons of water every year, which comprises 30 percent of all water used in the home. If you pay for your water as I do, you can save money with a urinal. In total we could reduce home water consumption by 10% with urinals. Reduced water consumption means fewer dams on watersheds, less upstream flooding, reduced infrastructure to bring the water to your home and lower cost and pollution in disposing of wastewater. A urinal will only cost you $125 (unless you go with Hibiscus - above) and is easy to install if you have basic plumbing skills. But many people will have to spend another $200 plus to have it installed by a plumber. A bigger barrier might be having the right location and overcoming the social stigma of having a urinal in your home.
Jim Eagles is a retired marketing guy who volunteers at Literacy Central Vancouver Island and with an interest in the environment. You can follow his blog at: http://well-readbooks.blogspot.com/
