Here’s the basic gist: When you flush your toilet, water flows from the tank into the bowl, moving your waste into pipes, out to the street, etc. The tank and bowl refill with fresh water for the next flush. The toilet sink combo acts as a middle man during this process. When you flush the toilet, fresh water is rerouted through a faucet into a small basin that drains back into the bowl, ready for the next flush. While the water is flushing and refilling, you wash your hands.

What’s the point? Think about this: Most toilets use about a gallon and a half of clean water to flush your waste into city pipes and out into the septic system. This is clean water, the same municipal tap water you walk over to the sink to wash your hands with. By cutting out washing your hands in the sink and using toilet water you save water; which over time, adds up to gallons and gallons over the course of a year (depending on how long you wash your hands for). You’re not using extra water to wash your hands. Get it?

I never quite feel like I’ve explain it very well, but it does make sense. In the end, it’s a better use of water. The water that ends up in the toilet bowl is the water you just washed your hands with. It’ll be a little soapy, but your poo doesn’t care. I figure, you get more bang for your buck this way. Plus, it’s a lot more pleasant than the “If it’s yellow let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down” method. I also can’t help but wonder if the soapy water will eventually keep the pipes cleaner. *shrugs*

The savings here are small, but green living is about doing small things that add up. I’ve always sort of thought that toilet flushing was such a waste of water. All that water, just to move your poop out of sight. Sure, the modern toilet is a miraculous invention, but it’s hardly efficient. Like I said, most toilets use about a gallon and a half of water to flush. That’s a lot. How many times do you flush your toilet everyday? Double that on Burrito Night and that’s a whole lotta water.

If I haven’t accurately described the wonders of the toilet sink combo, you can find more info here: Sink Positive

Toilet Sink Combo Saves the Planet!

Today when I was exiting the Whole Foods in East Pasadena, I was approached by two members of the environmental group Greenpeace. They asked simply, “Do you have a few minutes to talk about Greenpeace?” I replied frankly, “No actually, I don’t, sorry.” Because Greenpeacers are aggressive, they followed that by saying, “Don’t you want to help the environment?” I retorted casually and in a friendly way that I help the environment everyday. The guy of this guy/girl combo smiled and made an agreeable remark. After I’d unloaded my groceries and returned the cart back to the stall, I smiled and wished them luck.

“Takes more than luck”, the girl sneered, not even making eye contact.

You fucking bitch! How dare she? All of 18 years old, I was helping the environment before she was in 1st grade! I was the first person on my block to recycle. By the way, no one was doing it at the time and the city certainly didn’t provide containers to do so in. I’m the one who lectures people about the importance of not littering, recycling, doing more, using less, turning off lights, driving better cars, spreading the word about cool environmental projects, talking about it, buying organic, and not eating meat (which helps the environment big time!). In fact, I spend a great deal of time and effort thinking about the environment, talking about global warming, saving animals, composting, and buying local food. So how dare this little bitch chide me for not sacrificing my time and my wilting vegetables in the trunk for an organization whose newsletter I was subscribed to WAY BEFORE going green was trendy.

Look, I may not be Ed Begley Jr. and I don’t drive a Prius, but the state of the environment has been a life-long cause for me. I do my best, I do what I can, and I think I do more than most. What bothers me most is that Greenpeacers look down on you when you don’t donate money. And that’s what they want. Money. I get it. Money helps them run and they’re a fantastic organization. It would be nice if I could afford to donate, but I just can’t at the moment. Besides, living an entire life with concern for the environment is far more important and will do more good than my temporary 20 dollars.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been chided by a Greenpeacer. In any given group, there’s always some aggro representative that thinks they’re Jesus Fucking Christ because they sport a Greenpeace t-shirt and stand outside a grocery store guilting people into donating money. Maybe that’s how it needs to be done. Maybe Greenpeace is where it is because they’re aggro and judgmental. I don’t know, it just doesn’t go over well with me. I prefer the “lead by example” lifestyle. You can’t force people to care – believe me, I’ve cared for well over 20 years. People take their own time to come around. My own mother has only recently begun to make a real effort for the environment. Yay for her, but was she not listening to me all these years? I’m not about recruitment. Do or do not. You make your choices and at the end of the day, you’re the one who lives with it.

So hey, Greenpeace, take it easy on people. The media and popular culture have only recently started telling people to give a shit and buy hybrid cars. For many people, shopping at Whole Foods is a big step. And you know what? It’s a pretty good start. We can’t all be Al Gore, but if we try…we’re headed in the right direction – so give me a fucking break!