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Water

Here's How to Stop Using Toilet Paper and Save Water, Trees and Energy

By Lloyd Alter, TreeHugger. Posted October 7, 2009.


Making a roll of toilet paper uses 1.5 pounds of wood, 37 gallons of water and 1.3 KWh of electricity.
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People find the idea of going without toilet paper a bit shocking, but lots of people around the world do it, and there are good technologies available now to replace your toilet or add on to it. It is cleaner and healthier, and counterintuitively, saves a lot of water. Making a roll of toilet paper uses 1.5 pounds of wood, 37 gallons of water and 1.3 KWh of electricity.

A lot of these bidet style toilets are expensive, as are may of the toilet seat add-ons. The Blue Bidet is only US$ 69, C$79 when I saw it at the local Home Show in Toronto.

Peter Gallos explains the Blude Bidet from Lloyd Alter on Vimeo.

Peter Gallos tells me that it can be installed in under half an hour. They make a cold water model that just uses the line that supplies the toilet, and a version that uses hot and cold water but needs a more elaborate installation. I wondered if our 40 degree F water would not be a bit of a jolt to the butt, but he says it is such a short blast that it isn't a problem. TreeHugger Justin tried one earlier and wrote in his post Bidets: Eliminate Toilet Paper, Increase Your Hygiene:

After using a bidet, most people find cold water is fine, and not particularly shocking on one's rear. Occasionally, a few sheets of paper are needed to dry oneself. To avoid this, you could get a air- drying bidet that would eliminate toilet paper entirely.

toiletpaperwaste.jpg

Interestingly, Blue Bidet does not say that they are eliminating toilet paper, just cutting its use by 75% and using the remainder to dry yourself off. Perhaps it is too hard a sell to say you don't need any. I will give the thing a try and let you know.

More on the Blue Bidet in the USA and in Canada.


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Stuff like this gives progressives a bad name
Posted by: krabenmeister on Oct 7, 2009 6:01 PM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Is this a joke? Or just holier than holy?

Give me a break! I think we have bigger fish to fry than
worrying about this. (Health Care, Economy, ..) Fat cats are flying around in their private airplanes and I should not even use paper? No thanks. I will be an enlightened citizen and use paper at the same time.

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» RE: Stuff like this gives progressives a bad name Posted by: Love Me, I'm a Liberal
someday . . .
Posted by: newsound on Oct 7, 2009 7:28 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Just one more bit of evidence that America is a little less civilized than the rest of the world.
Europe and Asia have long since realized the benefits of using water as opposed to paper to clean our bums.
I've been abroad and can appreciate the fact that bidets and washlets are better for both cleanliness AND the environment.
With this and many other issues, someday hopefully, the US will catch up.

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» RE: someday . . . Posted by: Jayzer
» RE: someday . . . Posted by: newsound
This comment has been removed from the site due to non-compliance with AlterNet's community policies.
squirt bottle works
Posted by: oliveoil on Oct 8, 2009 8:09 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
These types of articles have been popping up a lot lately which means a change is at least in the air in the U.S. In the meantime, plastic squirt bottles, like the ones given to women after giving birth, work great. People all over the world find ways to cleanse even when there is no bidet; it amazes me that we are so "behind" in this regard.

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» RE: squirt bottle works Posted by: Love Me, I'm a Liberal
How about if we just stopped bleaching the stuff?
Posted by: Walt K on Oct 9, 2009 7:29 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I tried to find a reference as to how much water and power might be saved if we used unbleached paper, but didn't come acroos one quickly.
I did find this fascinating article. The Romans used an L-shaped stick!!

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It's about health, people.
Posted by: justAnEgg on Oct 10, 2009 5:49 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I'm surprised the author doesn't mention the most important benefit of bidet: hemorrhoid prevention. And, yes - cold water is the best.

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Enough
Posted by: wrensis on Oct 10, 2009 6:10 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I will give up toilet paper when moms give up disposable diapers. This is as much nonsense as removing an asthma medication for HFC's and replacing it with an HFC product for more money that does not work. Take the x number of flights a day for corporate travel out of the air and let them use a phone. Stop with the nonsense

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» RE: nough Posted by: AMERICAN VETERAN
» RE: nough Posted by: lawkoza
» RE: nough Posted by: Collielady
» RE: nough Posted by: DLCastillo
Does less paper mean more water?
Posted by: akarr1953 on Oct 10, 2009 6:34 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Your infomercial for the Blue Bidet(R) fails to make an environmental impact comparison between the toilet paper and water-cleansing methods in terms of water use.
The post-partum squirt bottle sounds interesting. Is there a version that can effectively remove solid waste?

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Or...
Posted by: vision on Oct 10, 2009 7:06 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
A small hose next to the toilet, like they use in SE Asia, works too. Costs $.75. I do miss them, much better than dry paper. And yeah, use a couple squares of toilet paper and dry yourself off after.

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I think this author with the crap stuck on his ass is
Posted by: AMERICAN VETERAN on Oct 10, 2009 7:51 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
sleeping with the idioette who harangues us about living on plants.

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In Little Lloyd's treehouse
Posted by: AMERICAN VETERAN on Oct 10, 2009 7:59 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
LLOYD'S POTTY

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A more effective way to, um, eliminate use of TP
Posted by: peppylapew on Oct 10, 2009 7:59 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
... would be to stop eating. Just stop. Altogether. For the duration of the crisis. Soon you won't consume any resources at all, you useless eater. And some deserving soul can take your job. Win-win. Just a thought.

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Anne in L.A.
Posted by: lawkoza on Oct 10, 2009 8:22 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We have multi-year droughts in California. How much water do you need to clean a big butt like mine? I buy my TP from Trader Joe's which is partially recycled. Who comes up with this crap?

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K9 alternative?
Posted by: slugsucker on Oct 10, 2009 9:38 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
How about just keeping a friendly pooch closeby and letting it do what comes naturally when you're finished pooping. A living bidet! It's warm (not 40 degrees), but it might tickle a bit. Downside, be sure Fido has been well fed and isn't pissed off at you.

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» RE: K9 alternative? Posted by: phatkhat
Well isn't this just great?
Posted by: linecrosser on Oct 10, 2009 9:51 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
As if there aren't enough industries putting out propaganda to keep hemp illegal. I can see the TP industry jumping on the bandwagon. Push for hemp legalization, I mean if your sincere about saving the planet.

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So, where's the water?
Posted by: alturn on Oct 10, 2009 10:24 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Would be great to use less tp, but out here in the southwest, we are being asked to save every drop. And if it does not rain heavily this winter, then it is going to be about more than putting in fake grass and letting all your outdoor plants die.

So maybe if this device came, water included . . .

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» RE: So, where's the water? Posted by: JiminSanFrancisco
» RE: So, where's the water? Posted by: Birdland
Bidets and Urinals are the best!!
Posted by: MotherLodeBeth on Oct 10, 2009 2:38 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
A bidet and a small urinal (we have lots of males in our home) do indeed lower the water bill, and cut down on bath tissue. The bidet uses less than 1/2 cup of water to wash the genitals, and the bidet tank itself means less water being used for flushing. The small urinal for families with males, uses 1/2 cup water to rinse the urinal. Wish they made a female urinal because its a waste of water to even use a quart of water with a dual flush toilet, when 1/2 cup water would be better.
This way the low water use bidet would only be needed for solid waste use, and thus no bath tissue use. And if you are on a septic tank the less paper waste the better.

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When you eat plenty of greens
Posted by: clresu on Oct 10, 2009 5:52 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
And less processed food, you tend to need a lot less toilet paper . . . sometimes close to none.

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Recycled TP
Posted by: phatkhat on Oct 10, 2009 11:52 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We use the White Cloud 100% post consumer recycled TP, made from office paper waste. Not giving up TP, sorry.

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this does give progressives a bad name
Posted by: nonknown101 on Oct 11, 2009 12:59 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This is foolish at best, and the K-9 alternative explains it best!

first of all, you need to forget about the french and head east where your left hand is considered CHARMIN, they already don't use TP in India folks or in the arab countries( no trees and little water leads to very dry bidet).
and back to the french who invented the bidet, they save alot of water by washing their body once a week, cause they wash their butt-hole after a dump, is this the next nasty idea that will flow down the pipe, or maybe we should wipe our butts with a news paper instead.

and toilet paper doesn't cause hemeroids, sitting on cold surfaces does that, and usng just cold water is not good for the venous system, this can lead to strokes later in life.

thinking stupid is not the way to save the world, and pretending that paper products are the cause of deforestation is just as stupid, farming is the main cause of deforestation as well as suburban build up, people don't have to suffer to make the world better, you just have get the retarded to give up the idea of having and owning things will bring them comfort and happiness, the main cause of suburban build up.

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These types of articles
Posted by: fredtowson on Oct 11, 2009 11:46 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
These types of articles have been popping up a lot lately which means a change is at least in the air in the U.S. In the meantime, plastic squirt bottles, like the ones given to women after giving birth, work great. People all over the world find ways to cleanse even when there is no bidet; it amazes me that we are so "behind" in this californication s03e03 subtitles desperate housewives s06e03 subtitles путешествия страны seropol5 regard.

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Hand Bidet Sprayer
Posted by: Jeff9 on Oct 13, 2009 2:44 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
A hand held bathroom bidet sprayer is so much better than a stand alone bidet or bidet seat and this is why:1. It's less expensive (potentially allot less) 2. You can install in yourself = no plumber expense 3. It works better by providing more control of where the water spray goes and a greater volume of water flow. 4. It requires no electricity and there are few things that can go wrong with it. 5. It doesn't take up any more space, many bathrooms don't have room for a stand alone bidet. 6. You don’t have to get up and move from the toilet to the bidet which can be rather awkward at times to say the least. Available at http://www.bathroomsprayers.com

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