A Year Without Toilet Paper

[livius drusus]

Non-fiction history writer Colin Beavan (http://noimpactman.typepad.com/) is almost at the end of his year without toilet paper (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/garden/22impact.html?pagewanted=1).

Its rules are evolving, as Mr. Beavan will tell you, but to date include eating only food (organically) grown within a 250-mile radius of Manhattan; (mostly) no shopping for anything except said food; producing no trash (except compost, see above); using no paper; and, most intriguingly, using no carbon-fueled transportation.

Mr. Beavan, who has written one book about the origins of forensic detective work and another about D-Day, said he was ready for a new subject, hoping to tread more lightly on the planet and maybe be an inspiration to others in the process.

It's interesting to read about how he and his family have been coping with daily struggles like not using elevators (they live on the ninth floor) or any spices other than salt. I can't even grok the TP thing. If they had a bidet at least it would tolerable, but since they don't :shudder:.

[Shelli]

:loon:

[Julie]

Do they use cloth wipes?

They'd have to be using cloth wipes....Right?

[Watser?]

Not even one of those Arab thingies where water is sprayed bidetlike while you wipe with your (left) hand?

[livius drusus]

The article refers obliquely to "bowls of water and lots of air drying".

[wildernesse]

I have read a blog where they use cloth toilet paper.

Walk Slowly, Live Wildly (http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/category/cloth-toilet-paper/)

She has a lot of links to people who are interested in living low-impact lives. One of my favorites is Simple Living (http://simplereduce.wordpress.com/), who is participating in the Riot for Austerity's 90% Emissions Reduction Project. (http://simplereduce.wordpress.com/riot-for-austerity-90-reduction-project-intro/)

There is also Living Plastic Free (http://plasticfree.blogspot.com/), a person who is learning how many things contain plastic in regular life.

Also, Tess Vigeland of NPR's Marketplace (http://www.publicradio.org/columns/marketplace/trash/), had a trash challenge recently where she carried around her trash to think about its impact.

I really enjoy reading about people who are doing these kinds of challenges and experiments about consumption and our consumer lifestyle. I would love to do something similar, but RA vetoes me. We heard about the trash challenge on the radio, and the first thing he said was that I was not allowed to do that.

[godfry n. glad]

NOOOOOoooooo!

I likes my buttwipe.

I even carried mine across Asia:

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/x2ttransitbunks.jpg
Bunks on The Great Western Road across northern China.
Note the strategic location of the buttwipe on lower (my) bunk.

I've got a whole buncha corn cobs, if anybody wants 'em.

[freemonkey]

Here's a photographer (http://www.chrisjordan.com/) who uses art photography to document mass consumption.

I could make it OK cutting back quite a bit, but no toilet paper?? :afraid2:

[Shelli]

The article refers obliquely to "bowls of water and lots of air drying".Bowls of standing water? So, I'm assuming that once clean water turned poo water is repeatedly reused? That's just disgusting. :nono:

[Dingfod]

Non papier hygienique? Mon dieu!

[wildernesse]

Here's a photographer (http://www.chrisjordan.com/) who uses art photography to document mass consumption.

I could make it OK cutting back quite a bit, but no toilet paper?? :afraid2:

I saw some of his photographs at the NC Museum of Art's exhibit about extra large photos. I like the cigarette butts and the sand and gravel yard ones best. If this exhibit is going to be near any of you in the future, then I suggest dropping by.

[Shelli]

The article refers obliquely to "bowls of water and lots of air drying".Bowls of standing water? So, I'm assuming that once clean water turned poo water is repeatedly reused? That's just disgusting. :nono:Not to mention, very unhygienic. :bacteria:

[livius drusus]

I don't know if they reuse it. I wouldn't think so. They prolly just flush it. :dunno:

[Shelli]

I don't know if they reuse it. I wouldn't think so. They prolly just flush it. :dunno:Good :tigger:, I hope so. :shudder:

[Crumb]

So they are not really big on the water conservation?

[Qingdai]

Toilet paper makes a mess in squat toilets. Much of the world does without paper, there are worse things to do without. Coffee comes to mind.

[livius drusus]

So they are not really big on the water conservation?
Again, I don't know how excretory functions are handled, but they're not going out to the woods to do their bidness, so I'm guessing they use the toilet. They just don't use TP.

There are ways of conserving water even though you use a commode. Not flushing pee, for example, or installing those neat vacuumy low-flow toilets.

[Crumb]

It seems like using water to ... uh wipe would negate any water saved in those ways. :shrug:

[livius drusus]

Well, it's just a bowl of water. What's that, maybe 2 cups? A normal flushing toilet uses helluvalot more than that.

[Shelli]

Yeah, that is true. I know that my company sells toilets that you're speaking of liv, the ones that use very little water. If and when I need to replace my toilet, I'll be going with one of those.

[Dingfod]

You don't need no toilet paper with them fancy Japanese toilets. (http://www.theplumber.com/japan.html)

[godfry n. glad]

You don't need no toilet paper with them fancy Japanese toilets. (http://www.theplumber.com/japan.html)


Segue:

Horse sushi?

Is this the answer to the horse disposal problem?

"Hey...Your horse is sick." "Ship it to Japan."

"Too bad your horse lost the race due to a busted leg. I guess it's off to Toyko, huh?"

[livius drusus]

Those Japanese toilets scare me. :afraid:

[godfry n. glad]

Those Japanese toilets scare me. :afraid:

Not to worry, liv...You don't have to be a rocket surgeon.

[Plant Woman]

Those toilets are great! And you feel a whole lot cleaner than when you use tp. A friend of mine has one and it is great to use. However, they also have a seat warmer so I doubt the toilet was put in for environmental reasons. And those toilets aren't cheap.

Another friend has one of the low water use toilets. Problem with some of them including hers is when you go poo it takes about three flushes before you get it to go down, plus if you go too much they plug easily. She is getting rid of hers and looking for a better toilet.

[livius drusus]

Not to worry, liv...You don't have to be a rocket surgeon.

I'm sure I could cope, if the manual was detailed enough, but still, there's way too much froo-froo and moving parts considering the job it does.

[livius drusus]

Another friend has one of the low water use toilets. Problem with some of them including hers is when you go poo it takes about three flushes before you get it to go down, plus if you go too much they plug easily. She is getting rid of hers and looking for a better toilet.
I read about a model that includes a vacuum function, so it sucks down everything in the bowl with a minimal amount of water. Let me see if I can find what I'm talking about.

[Plant Woman]

Yes that would be great. The one she has probably wastes more water trying to get everything flushed.

[Shelli]

I'll check at work today too with our resident toilet expert on what he recommends. :yup2:

[Adora]

I sort of find these sort of stories a bit odd. I mean, doing things organically and with less of a carbon/chemical imprint on an individual citizen level is great, but it's not going to help the environment in a real sense, since the great killers of the earth are parasitic corporations that mine, strip and produce harm in greater quantities than individuals could ever dream of.

When are they going to go for a year (or decade) without their metaphorical toilet papers?

[wildernesse]

Maybe after enough individuals who are aware of the waste and the possibility of alternatives, then there will be greater pressure on the corporations.

It is unlikely that one individual's contribution to anything is going to make a difference--no matter what the issue is. But that shouldn't be an excuse to be wasteful and ignorant. After all, if no one was concerned, we'd all be worse off.

[Adora]

Maybe after enough individuals who are aware of the waste and the possibility of alternatives, then there will be greater pressure on the corporations.
I think, as we have seen is the case currently, all this tends to do is put pressure on the marketing branches of companies to make it seem like they actually give a fuck (when, clearly, they don't), such as Origin Energy here in Australia and their incredibly soft-sell new campaign.

You're right, we shouldn't be wasteful and ignorant, but it's greed and gluttony that are the great killers.

[wildernesse]

Maybe after enough individuals who are aware of the waste and the possibility of alternatives, then there will be greater pressure on the corporations.
I think, as we have seen is the case currently, all this tends to do is put pressure on the marketing branches of companies to make it seem like they actually give a fuck (when, clearly, they done), such as Origin Energy here in Australia and their incredibly soft-sell new campaign.

You're right, we shouldn't be wasteful and ignorant, but it's greed and gluttony that are the great killers.

Green-washing is a concern. On one hand it is a good thing when Wal-mart decides to increase their fleet's fuel efficiency and reduce their stores' greenhouse emissions, but on the other they are selling giant loads of completely disposable goods shipped in from across the world, creating giant swaths of impermeable surfaces in their communities, etc.

What's the alternative, though? What would you rather see happening?

[Adora]

I'd rather see voters putting pressure on governments to enact/implement legislation to actually come down on these companies hard. Because that's the only way it's done. The mantra of deregulation a couple of years ago was one of the stupidest moves environmentally ever (not to mention stupid in a multitude of other ways).

I'm not saying it's easy, because fuck knows it's not. You have to involve a huge amount of effort more than you usually would for a tiny tiny piece of improvement, because these companies are lining the pockets of those politicians in power, so the movement has to be strong enough to threaten any re-election potential of said government (which is the one and only reason Howard in my own country has stopped singing the "There's no such thing as Global Warming" parrot-song and started facing facts). Sadly, it's this fact that means the Australian government will never stop mining companies, because that's pretty much what our economy is currently based on (and no PM wants to be known for pulling the rug out from under the economy) and they're some of the greatest campaign contributors ever.

Honestly, I'd also like to see some campaigns that actually target the invisible faces behind corporations that do the most damage: The shareholders. Make them responsible for money made and parts of the world ruined in their name. Because they're the excuse used when this stuff happens ("It was good for shares!"), so it's on their heads.

[wildernesse]

Well, yeah, increased regulation will be helpful. But until there are enough people who are educated enough to care about the issues--and in the US, there just aren't enough--there will be no push for greater regulation by the voters.

Books and crazy experiments by these people are the first steps that lead to awareness by more people. . .and then corporations' attempts at pre-empting regulation and then (hopefully) regulation.

[Shelli]

I'll check at work today too with our resident toilet expert on what he recommends. :yup2:He reccomends the Kohler Cimmeron 1.5 gal toilet. :yup2: