Posted on 06/03/2006 1:35:09 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
As worries about resource conservation and global warming spur growth in environmentally sensitive construction, builders find that one room separates the greens from the traditionalists.
The restroom.
Once the most generic of features in commercial buildings, toilets loom as the earth-friendly builder's final frontier. Eco-friendly toilets -- low-flush, dual-flush or no-flush compost -- conserve water and cut pollution, a double benefit that few other green features can claim.
But try to find one of these toilets. As more builders earn plaudits and save money with geothermal heating and bicycle parking, they remain more likely to plant roof gardens than to install green toilets.
Plumbers say waterless urinals, which use a replaceable cartridge, are unsanitary because they don't wash waste away. Municipalities resist making the changes to plumbing systems that compost toilets require. (In a compost toilet, the high-tech version of an outhouse, accumulated waste decomposes into liquid fertilizer and organic matter.) Users complain that high-efficiency toilets, which use less water than traditional models, require two flushes to do the job.
Behind such objections stands this truth: America remains a flush-oriented society, and the more powerful the flush, the better.
"It was a morale issue," Anja S. Caldwell, green building chief for the Montgomery County public school system, said of initial resistance to the 50 waterless urinals introduced over the past year. "People thought that by taking the flush away, you're taking an entitlement."
Six years after the U.S. Green Building Council established standards governing construction with low environmental impact, buildings certified by the builders' group total 6 percent of construction. The trend is growing. Fifteen states and 49 cities -- including Maryland, Virginia and the District -- have some green building legislation or incentives.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Wood chips can be dropped into the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's composting toilet after using it. Wood chips can be dropped into the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's composting toilet after using it.
Ain't gonna happen. The Plummer's UNION is on the case.
Someone explain to me (even in an enviro whacko's warped reasoning) how toilet flushing affects so-called global warming.
When we moved into our new home in 1998, I had disabled the commie, low-flush feature before the dishes were unpacked. I then went around the block showing all the new neighbors how to do it.
"As worries about resource conservation and global warming spur growth in environmentally sensitive construction, builders find that one room separates the greens from the traditionalists."
One room hell, the entire structure seperates me form those whackos.
As long as I pay for it i'll use as much of anything as I want to, screw their environment.
BTW, hippie-kid school NOLS teaches the little commies-in-training to use PINE CONES to wipe their a**!!!! LOL!!!
...or I should say OUCH!!!!
Thank you. To that I also add - "Use is NOT Waste!!!"
I have no specific info but i read about a case last year where where these waterless urinals were going to be installed (east coast i think if anyone is local to it). The plumbers union protested. They ended up installing the waterless urinals and paid for all of the actual plumbing to be run as well but capped of at the fixture.
Nothing like the smell of an outhouse on a hot day!
And that's the truth. I read an article not to long ago (in all likelyhood it was posted on FR) and one contractor or builder (in Chigaco?) wanted to do this and he got holey hell from the union. They ended up compromising to have some sort of regular plumbing, too, in order to appease the union and to be able to follow through with their plans to build their own building.
When we were in the market to buy a house a few years ago my wife went to an open house that had a composting toilet system. The home owners proudly showed off their system including how the "compost" should be stirred every now and again.
I wonder if anyone ever bought that house.
PEW.
I'm moving into a new home in a few months. Can you give a reader's digest version of how to?
Exactly. I read that article here also. I can't remember where it happened but they wanted these things put in some government building and the union boys raised holy hell. LOL! I love it.
At work, we'll be picking out an empty cube... or occupied, if you really don't give a s _ _ t.
The Watermelons won't be happy until we're all forced to dig holes with our bare hands and dump in them, then cover them up like a bunch of house cats.
LOL!... thats gross.. LOL!
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