How My Path to Environmentalism Began with Toilets
Written for RE-volv’s Blog shortly after joining their Solar Ambassador internship.
In my experience, the most frequently asked question for a college student is: “what are you studying?”. My answer: global studies with a concentration in sustainability. Then, a common follow-up is “why”? My long answer reminisces on my aspirations as a child to start a website educating kids on the impacts of climate change through a fun and interactive platform (similar to the website “Webkinz”, my favorite activity of the time), my fourth-grade science project on greenhouse gas emissions, and then, in college, my introduction to climate justice.
However, my short answer, and the topic of this blog post, is toilets.
Why you might ask? My dad is Swedish and I remember, when I went to Sweden as a child to visit my father’s side of the family, that I could not get over two things:
1) If you’re in public, you may need to pay to use the restroom.
2) When you’re in the bathroom, you often have a choice on how to flush. There was a low-flush option (for No. 1 or liquid waste) or another option which uses a stronger flow of water (for No. 2 or solid waste).
For an aspiring environmentalist who was addicted to watching the movie “Arctic Tale”, I could not stop asking: why does the United States not use this easy way to save water?
It is 15 years later, 40 states are expecting some degree of a water shortage within the next decade, and there are more dual-flush toilets in our bathrooms in the United States than there were 15 years ago. However, choosing your “degree of flush” is still not mainstream and a lot of water is still being “flushed down the toilet”.
Dual-flush toilets save a lot of water. Some older toilets use as much as 6 gallons of water per flush, while dual flush toilets use between 1 to 1.6 gallons depending on the model and your flush. That is a lot of potential water savings. As of 2013 and according to the Environmental Protection Agency, toilet water is still one of the biggest uses of water in the average household. Toilets account for 30% of an average home’s indoor water consumption. Water is not an infinite resource—we are running our water reserves dry—and toilet water is a major contributor to our water waste. So, what can we do?
If you’re in the market for a toilet, you could look at dual-flush toilet models. If you don’t want to bother with a dual-flush lever or button system, look for toilets with a WaterSense label. These toilets flush only 1.28 gallons per use which is 20% less water than traditional toilets. Choosing a lower-flush toilet, whether it is a dual flush or a WaterSense model, will not only help the environment, but also your pocketbook. Choosing a WaterSense toilet could save you about 1/3 of your current water bill. The design of a toilet matters.
If you’re not in the market for a toilet, I admit this blog might not be too helpful for you. But, in choosing this blog topic, I didn’t only want to convince you to change your bathroom norms. I also wanted to show you a small part of my story and why I am an environmentalist.
What made me begin to think about the environment? Dual-flush toilets.
What am I passionate about now? I am still passionate about my first love, educating against “flushing” excess water down the toilet, but I am also passionate about the importance of renewable energy—and specifically solar power—in lowering our ecological impact. That is why I am a Solar Ambassador with RE-volv. That is what I am passionate about.
What do you want to “flush down the toilet” to reach a more sustainable future?
What are you passionate about?
Notes
Current legislation requires all toilets sold (dual-flush labeled WaterSense and basic toilets which includes all others) to not flush more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush.
If you are interested in learning more about the history of dual-flush toilets and how they work, you can visit either of these websites: first website, second website.
Anna Adamsson 
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