This Just In ...

I left my flush...in San Francisco

Posted by Kevin Fischer on March 2, 2011

Environmentalists are an odd bunch. They’re not happy unless they are trying to control and run every single aspect of your life.

What you eat.

What you drink.

How you shop (No more plastic bags!).

What you plant.

What you drive.

What you put in your gas tank.

What your clothes are made of.

The kind of light bulbs you buy.

What kind of appliances you purchase.

The kinds of activities you engage in on hot, humid, summer days.

The ingredients in the dishwashing liquid you use.

Where you can build commercial buildings for economic development that would create jobs (Put up a new mall there?? You’d have to knock down a 150-year old tree , for heaven’s sake! NO WAY!).

And there’s this list from one of my favorite blogs to turn to for countless laughs, treehugger.com:



·                     How to Green Your Sex Life
·                     How to Green Women's Personal Care
·                     How to Green Your Furniture
·                     How to Green Your Work
·                     How to Green Your Water
·                     How to Green Your Lighting
·                     How to Green Your Electricity
·                     How To Green Your Wardrobe

Newest Guides for How to Go Green

• Earth Day
• Spring Cleaning
• Spring Break
• Like Celebrities
• Wedding Engagement
• Dating
• Alternative Energy
• Skiing & Snowboarding
• Work from Home
• Workouts
• New Year's
• Cocktails
• Beers
• Thanksgiving Day
• Gadgets
• Wine
• Dinner Parties
• Halloween
• Job Searches
• Commuting
• Natural Skin Care
• In the Bathroom
• Dorm Rooms
• Back to School
• Investing
• Bathroom Renovation
• Hybrid Cars
• Volunteerism
• Why to Go Green
• Laundry
• Barbeques

And might I add one more:

How the hell you go to the bathroom.

Back in 2007,  an enviro I’m sure breathlessly composed and posted this on lifedev.net:

“In case you haven’t heard, today is Blog Action Day, or a day when bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind – the environment.

However, change is never easy.

I’ve found that the most effective changes almost always start small, and are built upon. So if you’re like me and want to start becoming a little more eco-friendly, read on. I’ve found a few tricks that anyone can do to start treating the environment a little better, all from within the friendly confines of your bathroom.

Don’t flush every time. I did a mission’s trip in Mexico, and while they technically did have plumbing, it didn’t always act like it. The little town’s sewer system wasn’t quite as advanced as you or I are accustomed to, and backups were frequent across the town. So, we implemented this simple rule, and I still use it today:

If it’s Yellow, let it Mellow
If it’s Brown, flush it Down

While it’s not the prettiest way to save water, it does get the job done. (I usually skip this rule when company comes over.) The toilet can be a huge waste of water, considering each flush uses around 5 or 6 gallons of water. And if we’re healthy we should be going to the bathroom many times per day. Multiply that by the family members in your house, and you’ve got a lot of water. If you can flush only every other time, you’re saving a lot of water.

Spare a square or two. This tip is not for the faint of stomach. When relieving yourself, try to use as little of toilet paper as possible. Without going into too much detail, let’s just say that getting the most out of your toilet paper can really help the reduce the consumption of the vital bathroom accessory. Taking the “minimalist” mindset when using the stuff can go a long way.”


Think of a real high-strung enviro you know. Of course you know someone.

Now, imagine going over to their house after reading the above.

I have two words for you.

Wack- O!

Speaking of…





America is stuck with these fandangled toilets that don’t use as much water that onbviously don’t get the intended job done. Toilets are supposed to flush, aren’t they? Not if they don’t posses the flushing oomph necessary.

For proof, let’s head out to flako San Francisco where they probably have candle-lit shrines to their hyper-enviro non-flush toilets.

You go in there, you do your job, you push the handle and you expect certain dividends in returns, like, a simple flush.

Nooooooooooooo! That swirl wouldn’t sink a fly. You’ve got to…..PUSH DOWN…start all over again and hope that this time, it’s all gone.

But these ingenious inventions are supposed to be the envy of Third World countries. If  you’re green, even if your toilet’s not clean, it’s a cool mean scene….Daddy-O.

If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear a flower in your hair, and possibly some nose plugs.

From the not-at-all conservative newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle:

San Francisco's big push for low-flow toilets has turned into a multimillion dollar plumbing stink. 

"Skimping on toilet water has resulted in more sludge backing up inside the sewer pipes," said Tyrone Jue, spokesman for the city Public Utilities Commission.

That has created a rotten-egg stench near AT&T Park and elsewhere, especially during the dry summer months.

The city has already spent $100 million over the past five years to upgrade its sewer system and sewage plants, in part to combat the odor problem.

Now officials are stocking up on a $14 million, three-year supply of highly concentrated sodium hypochlorite - better known as bleach - to act as an odor eater and to disinfect the city's treated water before it's dumped into the bay. It will also be used to sanitize drinking water.

That translates into 8.5 million pounds of bleach either being poured down city drains or into the drinking water supply every year.

Not everybody thinks it's a good idea.”

I bet not!

Where is the enviro outrage?

Same as right here.

 

The picture appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in May, 2004 with this caption:

"A sailboat makes its way along Lake Michigan in this aerial photo from Chopper Four with power zoom. The discolored water extended past the breakwater; the contents are unknown. Photo credit: Butch Jorgensen, photojournalist, WTMJ-TV."

The reaction from the lefty tree huggers?