Okay, so let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. We’ve been talking all week in abstracts and numbers; let’s get serious about really saving water, right now.

1) Dual flush options help match the flush with the, uh, cargo. Caroma [www.treehugger.com] and numerous other options exist to fix you up; this Argentine toilet [www.treehugger.com] design lets the sink water do the flushing.
2) Here [www.treehugger.com] we have a link to a review of low-flow toilets To learn about test methodology for low-flow toilets (you’ll never guess) and the results of the rigorous trials, look here [www.treehugger.com] (with the test results here [www.cwwa.ca] [pdf]).
3) Composting toilets that TreeHugger has lifted the lid on include the Bio-lux [www.treehugger.com], a pricey Japanese throne.

4) The Athena replacement handle [www.treehugger.com] saves water by controlling flush quantity.
5) Waterless urinals are made by many companies now, including Falcon [www.treehugger.com] and Waterless [www.treehugger.com], and look here [www.treehugger.com] for a case study of the water saving potential of flushless urinals — it’s huge!
6) The TwoFlush [www.treehugger.com] can turn any standard toilet into a dual flush fixture.

7) The Propelair [www.treehugger.com] uses some crazy vacuum action to flush itself.
Perhaps better than all of these — certainly easier — is the Athena replacement handle [www.treehugger.com] that saves water by controlling flush quantity.

Host of THE GREEN Online, Simran Sethi has something to say about one of those unmentionables: what we do behind those doors marked “ladies” and “gentlemen.” And she asks some rather probing questions about it as well, like “Have you ever thought to green your golden stream?” But the slightly snarky bathroom humor is only meant to help us get over our collective aversion to talking about human waste. It’s gross, it’s disgusting, but we have a serious problem with how we dispose and treat it. So unless we want it to end up in our rivers, streams and eventually in the food we eat, then we should probably get over our aversion to dishing the poop on well, poop.

Watch Simran’s Webisode to learn about pee-cycling and more:

OK, now that we’re a little more comfortable talking about it what can we actually DO about it? How does one green their golden stream?

Here are just a few suggestions care of our friends at Treehugger.com

Pee-Cycling [www.treehugger.com]

The Hot Poop on Composting Toilets [www.treehugger.com]

Liquid Gold [www.treehugger.com]

Pee Power [www.treehugger.com]

For all you tech-weenies out there (sorry, we couldn’t resist) there’s the eToilet which sports a 21 inch flat screen monitor, internet connectivity and dietary recommendations! Read more [www.treehugger.com]

Second Life

Don’t forget that Simran will be at the Sundance Channel Cafe in Second Life to talk to you about what should be done to put an end to our tendency to flush and forget.

What: Join Simran Sethi, host of THE GREEN on Sundance Channel, in Second Life for weekly discussion forums on environmental issues and solutions.
Date: May 1
Time: 10pm EST / 7pm PST
This Week’s Topic: CITEIS – How can we do a better job of managing our waste?
Where: THE GREEN forum will take place in the Main Screening Room on Sundance Channel Island.