This past summer I spent my better days peddling my Schwinn Road Bicycle down the Pacific Coast Highway from the Border of Canada to the Border of Mexico.  Riding over 80 miles a day in that hot summer sun you must stay well hydrated, and with that comes the frequent “pit stop.”  On a bicycle and open road it’s simple:  You pull over; click out of your cleats; and hike a few feet into the woods.  Case closed!  Yet there’s that awkward moment when you reach civilization, and staring into a large white pool of fresh and – almost everywhere – potable water!  Nearly two gallons worth!  Is that necessary?  Hardly.  So what can we do use less water?  Here are a few options:

Low flow toilets:

“Low-Flows” are toilets that do exactly as they advertise: They use less water per flush.  This is typically 1.6 gallons per flush max. (Check out Toto’s amazing line here)

Dual Flush Toilets:

Again, Dual Flush Toilets work exactly as they’re advertised:  There are two flush options on these toilets: One that basically rinses and one that provides a full flush.  The idea here is that you can decide which is more appropriate for a given usage, and thus using less water because in general a simple “rinse flush” will suffice.  Dual flush toilets here.

Composting Toilets:

Another toilet whose name does not lie!  These are the Champions of the “off-grid” options because they – most models – don’t use any water at all.  Water is replaced by an organic material – i.e. saw dust – that aids in the breaking down of the waste into a composting material that a few months later can be used as fertilizer.  Now that’s what I call “full circle!”  A great Composting Toilet here.

Waterless Urinals:

These toilets have a special “gel” that is lighter than water yet heavier then urine.  Therefore the gel floats on water that reaches the level of a drain cap, yet urine will sink past this gel and into the piping system.  By doing this the urinal deals with issues of smell and cleanliness without using any water.  Here.

Recycling GREYwater:

Although most building codes around the United States are too dated to allow for the reuse of water from our sinks, washing machines, and showers/tubs this is still a very viable option for those spaces that are more “off-grid” – i.e. an Island Eco-Resort.  Basically, this system diverts a portion of your grey-water into your toilets to be used as “flushing water.”  The rest of this grey water can typically be used for outdoor irrigation of your garden.

Something we can all do:

Now you might be thinking that it’s a little farfetched to assume that we all go out and buy a toilet listed above.  So what can we all do on a personal level?  Well… It’s simple.  Use less water.  Live by the old camping adage, “If it’s yellow let it mellow.  If it’s brown flush it down.”  This seems silly and cliche, but it has a bit of relevance especially in places where water is scarce.  And it get’s larger point: Be aware of how you’re consuming water.  Do you turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth?  Do you limit shower time to five to ten minutes?  Do you dry your clothes on a line outside? Etc. etc.

A little something else we can all do is to simply displace the water in the tanks of our toilets with a solid object.  You can do this by placing an empty capped half gallon of milk filled with a bit of sand or gravel.  By doing this your tank “shuts off” with one half gallon less of water in it and thus using a half gallon less per flush.

Finally, if you’re like Us here at Amble and have any option available to you I encourage taking some time to look into what your best options are.  After a lot of research it seems as though we’ll be employing all of these techniques on one level or another:  From composting toilets to recycling grey water in dual flush toilets.  Happy Flushing!