Pee Green
In our June 2009 issue, we'll be running a concept feature that turns the taboo topic of toilets into a fascinating exploration of design solutions for addressing global sanitation and water crises. With the subject swirling around the office, it was timely to see a remark on Twitter from our friend, Eric Corey Freed, that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is offering free waterless urinals for buildings that want to do water-saving green retrofits.
Falcon Waterfree Technologies, the company behind this free offer, specializes in waterless urinals and has installed hundreds of thousands of them around the world. According to their website, "As much as 5% of fresh water consumed is currently used to carry away urine. Each Falcon Waterfree urinal typically saves an average of 40,000 gallons (151,000 liters) of fresh water per year."
This follows a trend of incentive-based sustainability initiatives that have sprung up recently, including rebates for replacing old fuel-inefficient cars and special offers for trading in energy-sucking appliances for Energy Star models. While the urinal tends to be a more common need in commercial and institutional settings than residential, it wouldn't hurt to think about strategies for getting a more conservative flush at home. Be sure to read the June 2009 Dwell for more on toilet design from former editor and toilet designer, Virginia Gardiner.
Image, Creative Commons from Cade
Products
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Indoor Watering Can
Gravity gets this can flowing—hold the silicone tube down to water and up to stop—and magnets conveniently hold the hose in place for storage.
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Green Wreath
Hang this festive ceramic wreath on your door to welcome in the holiday season. Artists Felix Knaizev and Olga Julinska have a brilliant collection of holiday pieces available on their site…
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Garden Water Boost Box
The Garden Water Boost Box will help you save up to 25% of the water you generally use in the garden, or thousands of gallons of perfectly good water every year.
Dwell Collections
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Building Green in Harlem
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Easy Being Green: Off the Grid
We trek far afield each issue to bring you energy-efficient residences from around the globe, and they appear in all their green glory in our “Off the Grid” section. We revisited our…
Tip
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Green Table Materials
Try to get something that can be flat-packed and made of reclaimed or FSC-certified wood. Take a look at the finishes used to be sure they don’t off-gas and contribute to indoor air quality…
Videos
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The Bathroom Reinvented: Hyphae
Ecologist Brent Bucknum, principal of Hyphae Design Lab in Oakland, California, shares the ABC's of re-routing a home's waste water (greywater) to sustainably irrigate gardens and other green…
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Building Green in Harlem: A Green Brownstone?
In this video series, Dwell follows a New York couple with a passion for building green through the challenges—and triumphs—of renovation, from finding the design-build team to…
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Building Green in Harlem: Building The Green Dream Team
In this video series, Dwell follows a New York couple with a passion for building green through the challenges—and triumphs—of renovation, from finding the design-build team to finalizing the design.
Events
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Greening Oakland Homes
This event with connect homeowners with local contractors and organizations that can conserve water and energy -- in a cost-effective manner.
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Water: The Exhibition
Want a living planet? Just add water. The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents Water: The Exhibition, a celebration of the power and wonder of this life-giving substance and a call to each of us to…
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Green California Summit
The 2010 Green California Summit will take place in the state capital, at the Sacramento Convention Center. State and local governments in California have long set the standard for public sector…
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Related Products
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Indoor Watering Can
by Pascal CharmoluGravity gets this can flowing—hold the…
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Green Wreath
Hang this festive ceramic wreath on your door…
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Garden Water Boost Box
by Boost Home
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Our overage of the Stockholm Design Week continues with a look at a few especially haute seats: http://t.co/AI8RmEdw #furnituredesign
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i love the color palette in this photo. who knew the banal could be so beautiful. we all have to pee right?
well i think providing free product is a great way to get it rolling. this seems like a fantastic idea and its great that the makers are inspirered enough to really get it our there
well i think providing free product is a great way to get it rolling. this seems like a fantastic idea and its great that the makers are inspirered enough to really get it our there
This is it. Key words I found in June's issue (arrived today) are "infrastructures," "global water shortage," "Disaster Sanitation," "new buildings," the "countryside" connection, "sexy," & "a dearth of innovation." Links for further reading include http://environsan.co.za/ http://chemisan.com/ http://sg.geocities.com/sitsquattoilet/ http://peepoople.com/ Let's face our fears and faithfully forge ahead for the fate of fresh water everywhere.
GREAT news!!!!!!!!!!! You can not only heat and cool your home the earth- friendly , cost efficient geothermal way , but also your POOL !!!!! Very exciting information- Francis http://www.geothermalquestions.net
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