Science Marches On

Science is an amazing thing. I learned several things from the following article. Perhaps the most surprising is that it takes all mammals, regardless of species, size, or gender, approximately 21 seconds to urinate.

For more interesting tidbits, read on.

Peeing In The Shower Makes Ecological Sense

To pee or not to pee in the shower, that is the question. Various surveys have shown that lots of people do it—one questionnaire on BuzzFeed found that more than 80% of those surveyed say they do.

Okay, I'll fess up. There has been a time or two when I indulged. Now I'm finding out that what began as an act of convenience/laziness is actually helping to save the earth.

... relieving ourselves while showering can help conserve water. In fact, estimating that people pee on average seven times a day, the site calculates that taking away one 1.6-gallon flush across 319 million Americans every day could conserve 185 billion gallons of water a year, which is no small matter.

According to the research, in the 21 seconds it takes the average person to relieve themselves, 0.875 gallons of water will escape the shower head. Now consider that the new low-flow toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush, while millions of older toilets still in use require even more to flush urine away. The water savings are obvious.

And for those who wipe when they pee, they could save an entire roll of toilet paper every 50 days.

Of course, if you're a guy like me who lives out in the country, you have yet another option that requires no water at all. Just don't let your wife catch you. Mine is totally unconvinced by arguments that treating the great outdoors as one giant mens room saves time (so I can be remain more focused on my chores) and keeps me from tracking dirt into the house.

So there you have it. If you want to help keep the Earth green, plus save on your water bills, just 'let go' during your morning shower.

Stay tuned for more Earth-friendly tips...