This Green Home: Dual-Flush Toilet from Down Under!

While living down under I became quite attached to the loo. Not in a bad way. I did not suffer from food poisoning or an overdose of Tim-Tams. Nor was I sidetracked by the toilet flushing the opposite way. I simply loved the idea of a dual-flush toilet! These nifty things have two options that allot the amount of water and power put into shooing things out of site, saving water and energy. This simple green home renovation can cost less than $20 dollars to retrofit a single toilet, with kits that allow you to renovate up to 4 at a time, and toilets available with the feature already built-in.

The dual-flush toilet was originally designed in the 1980s by an Australian company after receiving a government grant. The first system installed in South Australia was able to save 37,000 liters of water annually, with conservation only growing as technology has improved over the years. You don't need to be undertaking a green home adventure to find these toilets, they are also in state parks, public restrooms, and hotels across the sunburned Country. Their popularity is catching on worldwide, with low-flush toiletscomplimenting our growing awareness of the need for water conservation.

Regardless of whether you live in a freshwater oasis or a desert, saving water is important for our global society. Water is considered the crisis of the 21^st century, replacing petroleum, as the most scarce and important resource of our time. Water allocation can be a complex issue, where the basic principle of reduction first becomes critical. Simple water saving techniques like the dual-flush toilet and the low flush toilet along with in-depth grey water systems can help us reduce our water consumption.

There are a multitude of quick water fixes, but the dual-flush retrofit is an excellent investment for hotels, public restrooms, and homes alike. As World Water Day quickly approaches, we should keep in mind improvements like this that are a small financial investment with important long-term benefits.

Perhaps my favorite thing about dual-flush toilets is the increased awareness that it brings to water issues. Although the phrase "if its yellow let it mellow" may best apply to green homes, in high-traffic restrooms, water is used with little thought since we do not directly pay for the service. A simple button that indicates that you have the option, as the consumer, to choose the amount of water used is a nice reminder of the choices we make every day. Perhaps its reducing shower time, only using the dishwasher when it is full, and throwing in large loads of laundry. But for a one-time investment of $20 USD, it can also include a quick green home retrofit that will save you and your environment from excessive water use.

Photo Credit Home Dosh.